DISINFOLAB: LETS FIGHT DISINFORMATION TOGETHER
EXECUTIVE TEAM
JEREMY SWACK
CO-DIRECTOR
Jeremy Swack is currently pursuing a B.S. in both Computer Science and Data Science from the College of William and Mary ‘24. Using his background in machine learning and data visualization, he researches data driven methods to analyze and predict the spread of disinformation. His other research interests include deep learning applications, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence.
SHRADHA DINESH
CO-DIRECTOR
Shradha is pursuing a B.A. in Data Science with a double major in Political Journalism from the College of William & Mary. Her research interests include election security and political polarization in the U.S. She has previously researched state-level eviction proceedings and redistricting.
BRENNEN MICHAEL
MANAGING EDITOR
Brennen Micheal is a Disinformation Analyst and joined DisinfoLab in Feburary 2022. He is a senior pursuing a B.A. in Government with a minor in Psychology. His research interests include the role of disinformation and emerging technology on national security and U.S. election security. He is also an intern with the U.S. Army War College with the Study of Internal Conflict research project.
IAN MACDONALD
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Ian MacDonald is a Technical Analyst for Disinfo Lab. He is currently a sophomore at the College of William & Mary pursuing a B.S. in computer science with a double major in film and media studies. Among his research interests are the identification and impact of social media bots on politics and economics, machine learning as a tool for disinformation, and the (mis)uses of artificial intelligence for image generation and manipulation. Ian also works as a Support Technician for the William & Mary IT Department.
SARAH WOZNIAK
OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Sarah is the Outreach Coordinator for DisinfoLab. She is a junior pursuing a B.A. in International Relations and Economics. Her interests include international security and development, specifically foreign disinformation. She also serves as the Director of Public Relations for The Monitor, is a knowledge management intern at USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives, and a member of the Varsity Women’s Gymnastics Team at William & Mary.
2022-2023 TEAM MEMBERS
LILLIE AYER
Software Engineer
Lillie is a a computer science major with a psychology minor. She has done previous research in high school focusing on child development and currently involved in Google Developers Club on campus.
EMA BACA
Communications Team
Ema is a sophomore pursuing a B.A. in International Relations with a minor in Economics from the College of William & Mary. Her interests include social media disinformation in Eastern Europe with a focus on election security. She serves as a Junior Production Editor for The Monitor as well as an intern for the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum.
NATHANIEL CALLABRESI
Software Engineer
Nathaniel Callabresi is a Software Engineer for DisinfoLab. He is a sophomore pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science from the College of William and Mary. His primary research interests include leveraging web development and machine learning to combat misinformation. He also enjoys rock climbing and competitive programming.
CRISTIAN CHARETTE-LOPEZ
Software Engineer
Cristian is a Software Engineering Intern for DisinfoLab. He is a rising junior pursuing a B.S in Computer Science at the College of William & Mary. He has previously conducted research on the effects of COVID-19 on American school districts using Machine Learning. He also serves as Sports Chair for the Latin American Student Union.
MYRA CROPPER
Software Engineer
Myra is a Technical Analyst for DisinfoLab. She is a freshman currently studying Computer Science. Her research interest include using machine learning to detect manipulated images and Deepfakes to stop the spread of disinformation. This is her first semester at DisinfoLab and she’s excited to be a part of the team.
MAEVE DONAHUE
Disinformation Analyst
Maeve is a Disinformation Analyst for DisinfoLab. She is currently a sophomore studying international relations and French at the College of William & Mary. She is interested in international politics, French politics, and human rights. This is her first semester in DisinfoLab.
MICHAEL FOLEY
Disinformation Analyst
JACK FRIMET
Disinformation Analyst
Jack is a Disinformation Analyst for DisinfoLab. He is a Sophomore pursuing a B.A. in Economics and Government. His interests include online political communication and political polarization in America. He is also a research assistant in the Social Networks and Political Psychology (SNaPP) Lab at William & Mary and is a member of the Tribe Hockey team.
BRENNAN GREEVES
Disinformation Analyst
CHEYENNE HWANG
Software Engineer
Cheyenne is a technical analyst for DisinfoLab. She is a sophomore at William & Mary pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science and Sociology. Her research interests include globalization patterns, technology in ethics, and media representation. She also serves as a research assistant for AidData’s GeoQuery tool and a member of the W&M Dance Team, ROCKET Magazine web team, Asian American Student Initiative (AASI), and Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity.
ALEK KUZMENCHUK
Disinformation Analyst
Alek is a Disinformation Analyst for DisinfoLab. He is a junior pursuing a B.A. in International Relations. His interests include security and civil society in Eastern Europe and South Asia, countering nontraditional threats to peace and stability, and nationalism. He also serves as the Director of Operations for The Monitor, an intern at the Global Engagement Center in the U.S. Department of State, and a member of the varsity gymnastics team.
AADIL MALLICK
Software Engineer
Aadil Mallick is pursuing a B.S in computer science from the college of William and Mary '26. His interests include Web development and Machine Learning.
ALAN MARIETTA
Software Engineer
Alan is planning to earn his B.S. in Computer Science during his years at William & Mary. Along with programming, he loves the outdoors, sports, and playing games. With an interest in developing software, Alan plans to become a full stack backend engineer in the future.
JOSIE MASSENET
Disinformation Analyst
Josie Massenet is a Disinformation Analyst for DisinfoLab, as of October 2022. She is a sophomore pursuing a double major in International Relations and Economics. Her research interests include international security, developmental economics, and Russia’s war on Ukraine. Massenet is part of the Flat Hat, and on the Executive Board of the Economics Club. She is a James Monroe Scholar and a Freeman Fellow, and is excited to be a part of the DisinfoLab team!
BRIAN NEWILL
Software Engineer
I am a Junior majoring in Computer Science, and I love mathematics. I specialize in satellite simulations and any back-end work. I am involved in KASA and anything outdoors at W&M. You can find me studying in the new Sadler wing, outside in the sunken gardens, and probably in the new arts building in the future.
COMFORT OHAJUNWA
Software Engineer
Comfort Ohajunwa is a Technical Analyst for Disinfolab. She is currently a freshman pursuing a double major in Mathematics and Computer Science. Her research interests include social media and its influence on political ideology and polarization. In the past, she has worked on applied mathematics research on the spread of COVID-19.
PIPPA SCROGGINS
Software Engineer
SKYLER SEETS
Software Engineer
SOFIA VALLE
Disinformation Analyst
Sofia is a Disinformation Analyst for DisinfoLab. She is a Sophomore pursuing a B.A. in International Relations and Chinese Studies. Her interests encompass Chinese FDI in Europe, Chinese maritime grey-zone activities, and maritime transparency in the South China Sea. She serves as the Vice President of the W&M John Quincy Adams Society chapter and is a research assistant for the William and Mary Global Innovation Challenge.
YE XIAO
Software Engineer
Ye Xiao is a Technical Analyst for DisinfoLab. She is a sophomore in Applied Statistics. Her interest includes using NLP and other technical tools to analyze disinformation on social media. She is also a research assistant in AidData and a technical support in the Bray School Lab.
MARY WATERMAN
Disinformation Analyst
YILE XU
Software Engineer
Yile Xu is a Technical Analyst for DisinfoLab. She is a junior at the College of William & Mary pursuing B.S. in Computer Science and Data Science on the data application track. Her research interests include bioinformatics and data mining.
KELVIN WANG
Disinformation Analyst
MICHELLE ZHOU
Software Engineer
Michelle Zhou is a senior student in College of William and Mary, double majoring in computer science and applied mathematics. She has wide interests and skillsets in machine learning, database management, visualization, statistical modeling, linear algebra, and so on. Her research interests are in AI and machine learning, with a recent focus specifically on natural language processing and multimodel learning.
DAVID ZHU
Software Engineer
David Zhu is a Machine Learning and AI enthusiast currently pursuing a B.A. in Data Science from the College of William & Mary ('24). With a wealth of experience in large-scale data analytics across various industries and research labs, he excels in developing and deploying innovative and impactful machine learning solutions. David's research interest lies broadly in Deep Learning and Applied Machine Learning, with a specific focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP), computer vision(CV) and the application of large language and vision models.