Professor Karine Nahon is the dean of the Ofer School of Communication, head of the data, government and democracy program, an Associate Professor of Information Science in the Lauder School of Government at Reichman University in Israel. Former president of the Israeli Internet Association (ISOC-IL). Previously, she held a tenured position as a faculty at the Information School at University of Washington, directed the Virality of Information (retroV) research group, and directed the Center for Information & Society at University of Washington. She is the author of the award-winning book Going Viral and was named on TheMarker’s list of 100 most influential people in Israel and on Forbes' list of 50 Most Influential Women in Israel.

Her research focuses on three areas of study that are intertwined: (1) network gatekeeping and politics of information; (2) challenges to democracy in the information age; and (3) virality of information. Her academic background is rooted in multiple disciplines: Information Science, Communication, Political Science, Computer Science and Management of Information Systems.

Prof. Nahon is a leading authority on the politics of information. A prominent voice in civil society, she actively shapes national policy regarding the information society, disinformation, and the contemporary challenges facing democracies.

In the wake of the October 7th attacks, she co-established the Civilian War Room and headed its Missing Persons Array. Leading 1500 volunteers, she managed a high-stakes intelligence operation to verify the status of thousands of individuals as abducted, injured, or fallen. Her contributions earned the Rappaport prize, the Peres Center’s Knighthood, and Knight of Quality Government Award.

Her public roles in the past include being chairwoman of the national sub-committee of Ethics, Regulation and Artificial Intelligence; member of the national committee examining regulations of platforms; member of the national committee examining the election law, member of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) Cabinet, representing Israel in the UN in the committee for science and technology and more. She co-founded in Israel two NGOs: Privacy Israel and the digital rights movement. She served as a board member in many NGOs in the area, for example, Wikimedia, the Freedom of Information Movement and the Open Knowledge Workshop.

Professor Nahon's distinguished career reflects her deep commitment to advancing the understanding of governance in the information society, making her a pivotal figure in the intersections of information technology, democracy, and policy.