Kate Starbird

Kate Starbird transitioned from a decorated collegiate and professional basketball career to an acclaimed academic focusing on disinformation and social media. After earning Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA Women’s National Player of the Year, and WBCA Player of the Year in 1997, Kate Starbird concluded her collegiate basketball career at Stanford University with a program record of 2,215 points, a mark that stood for 11 years. As a guard for the Stanford Cardinal (1993-1997), she led her team to three consecutive Final Four appearances (1995-1997), securing Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year in 1996 and outright Player of the Year in 1997. Her achievements included being named a Parade All-American first team selection, Kodak All-America MVP, and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association High School All-America Game MVP in 1993, culminating with a gold medal at the 1997 World University Games with Team USA.

In September 2012, she joined the University of Washington’s Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering, establishing and directing the Emerging Capacities of Mass Participation (emCOMP) lab. Her research, situated at the intersection of computer science and social science, focuses on critical issues of disinformation and online rumor spread during crises. Starbird was promoted to associate professor at the University of Washington in 2019, in recognition of her impactful contributions. That same year, she co-founded the Center for an Informed Public (CIP), an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to combating misinformation and fostering an informed society.

Through her leadership at emCOMP lab and CIP, Starbird remains a leading authority in understanding and mitigating harmful online narratives, influencing public discourse and policy in an increasingly complex digital landscape.