Nathan W. Moon

Director of Research, Center for Advanced Communications Policy

Member Of:
  • Center for Advanced Communications Policy
  • School of Public Policy
Fax Number:
404-385-0269
Office Location:
IPST 314

Overview

Nathan W. Moon, PhD, is a Principal Research Scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and he serves as Director of Research of the Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP) at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on increasing access to education and employment for people with disabilities, with specializations in the accessibility of information and communications technologies (ICTs), workplace accommodations and employment policy, broadening participation in STEM education, and program evaluation.

To date, he has been the PI or co-PI of 13 projects totaling $5.12 million in external funding. Additionally, he has been project director or task leader on nine other projects and been a co-investigator for three additional projects. In addition to the projects he has led, he has contributed significantly to a total of $16.1 million in sponsored research funding at Georgia, for a total of over $20 million in funding at Georgia Tech.

Notable projects have included the nine-year, NSF-funded Georgia STEM Accessibility Alliance (GSAA) to broaden the participation of secondary and postsecondary students with disabilities in STEM education through the provision of electronic mentoring via virtual worlds. He also has led research and evaluation projects in support of the University System of Georgia (USG) STEM Initiative to improve postsecondary attainment within the State of Georgia.

Dr. Moon also is the Principal Investigator for a Field Initiated Project on the Contingent Employment of People with Disabilities (FIP-CE). This three-year research project is funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). FIP-CE investigates the participation of individuals with disabilities in contingent employment arrangements, including jobs obtained through web-based or app-based platforms associated with the nascent “gig economy" associated with services such as Uber, Lyft, and Handy. Moon also serves as Project Director for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Wireless Inclusive Technologies (Wireless RERC), where he leads the RERC's Survey of User Needs and research on the sociocultural design factors for next generation wireless technologies.

Dr. Moon as a strong record of scholarly research during his 12 years as a faculty member at Georgia Tech, with a particular emphasis on applied and empirical research to inform both practice and policymaking. He has authored or co-authored 30 peer-reviewed publications, including two books, with over 780 citations in the scholarly literature. Additionally, Moon has delivered over 30 refereed conference presentations on the subject of accessibility and disability, and he has given nearly 20 invited talks to diverse audiences.

Dr. Moon truly measures his success by how he has made the world a better place. He strives to use research to influence practice and service delivery. In this vein, he led a team that produced Accommodating Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), an NSF-funded handbook on accessibility research to inform classroom and laboratory practice. Over 2,000 copies of this publication have been distributed free to the public, and it has been cited nearly 130 times in the literature.  The impact of the publication resulted in national recognition for Dr. Moon, culminating in an invitation from the National Academies’ Board on Science Education and Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) to present on best practices to broaden participation of people with disabilities within STEM education and the STEM workforce.

Dr. Moon received his PhD in the history and sociology of science and technology from Georgia Tech in 2009. In addition to his research on disability and technology policy, he undertook a historical study of psychostimulant drugs, namely amphetamines and Ritalin, to understand their medical applications and extramedical consumption in postwar America.

Education:
  • Ph.D. in History and Sociology of Technology and Science (Georgia Tech, 2009)
  • M.S. in History and Sociology of Technology and Science (Georgia Tech, 2006)
  • M.A. in History (Georgia College & State University, 2002)
  • B.A. in History (Georgia College & State University, 2002)
Awards and
Distinctions:
  • RESNA "Rookie" Award, 2013
  • Homer Rice Award, 2009

Interests

Research Fields:
  • History of Technology/Engineering and Society
  • Information and Communications Technology Policy
  • Program Evaluation, Public Management and Administration
  • S&E Organizations, Education, Careers and Workforce
  • Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy
  • U.S. Society and Politics/Policy Perspectives
Geographic
Focuses:
  • Europe
  • United States
Issues:
  • Health
  • Accessibility
  • Autism
  • Disability
  • Emerging Technologies - Innovation
  • Science and Engineering Workforces

Courses

  • HTS-2013: Modern America