Laboratory for Normative & Cultural Studies in Emerging Technologies

Most Recent Publication

Clancy, R., Lee, L., Zhu, Q., Plemmons, D., Heitman, E., McIntosh, T., Kalichman, M., Thrush, C., Grossenbacher, L., Williams, B., Zhu, M., & Jenkins, I. (2025). Toward an “ecosystems” approach to responsible conduct of research (RCR): Reframing research integrity through the lens of collaborative accountability. Accountability in Research. Advance online: https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2025.2596906

This paper presents an “ecosystems” approach to responsible conduct of research (RCR). 15 In the US the research ecosystem comprises different partners, including funding agencies, research institutions, professional societies, accreditation bodies, and other stakeholders. An ecosystems approach to RCR consists of understanding how these partners depend on each other, using these relations to ensure each holds the others accountable for environments that promote the production of valid and reliable research. It is 20 a response to historically ineffective RCR initiatives, which have tended to be based on several problematic assumptions. These include that (1) integrity issues in biomedical research serve as paradigm cases for those in research in general, (2) the primary cause of research misconduct is individual researchers’ behavior, (3) educational interventions alone can prevent research misconduct, and (4) RCR can be addressed at the level of 25 institutions alone. Instead, research misconduct is better understood as resulting, in part, from misaligned incentives throughout the research ecosystem. Just as institutional cultures shape individuals, so too do the policies and behaviors of partners comprising the research ecosystem shape institutional cultures. The study design includes critical reflection and a review of literature, and its main findings are policy recommendations and their justifications.

Who We Are

The Laboratory for Normative & Cultural Studies of Emerging Technologies (LANCSET) at Virginia Tech is an open and inclusive community of scholars committed to critically engaging with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and quantum computing through ethical, cultural, and societal lenses. Our work is grounded in the belief that technologies are not neutral; they are shaped by and, in turn, shape the values, norms, and cultures of the societies in which they are developed and deployed.

Normative Focus
We examine the ethical shaping and governance of technological development and deployment, investigating how responsibility, human flourishing, ethics literacy, and research security are enacted throughout the lifecycle of emerging technologies.

Cultural Focus
Our cultural lens explores the values already embedded in technological and professional education systems and the ways their adoption reshapes practices, identities, and meanings.

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