All technology has benefits and risks — and even scientists working at the most theoretical level in a lab must consider how their research and development (R&D) might have downstream impacts on the public and environment.

The Social and Ethical Implications (SEI) research program, which ran from from 2015 to 2025, was housed in the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations and supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure program [Grant Number ECCS-2025227]. The SEI program was led by science and risk communication researcher and professor Lee Ann Kahlor. One purpose of the SEI research program was to train scientists working at the nanoscale to better understand the downstream impacts of their work. Another purpose was to train Ph.D. students in science communication and engage them with the study of the social and ethical implications of nanotechnology.

What is nanotechnology? Nanotechnology refers to any technology that is conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1–100 nanometers. The size of a nanoparticle equals 1/100,000 of the diameter of a human hair.

Why study the social and ethical implications of nanotechnology here at UT Austin? From 2015 to 2025, TNF was one of 16 sites in the U.S. funded by the National Science Foundation’s National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure. Its purpose was to provide academic, private, and government researchers with fabrication, instrumentation, and expertise related to nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. This means hundreds of researchers from inside and outside the state of Texas visited TNF to work on the equipment housed in the cleanrooms. To ensure safety and proper use of the equipment at the TNF, all potential users of the facility were required to complete training. Starting in 2016 (and running through 2025), that training also included a required module focused on how to think like an ethical leader. Data was collected from the trainees to help the SEI team understand the effectiveness of the training and attitudes toward SEI among the scientists. Throughout this work, the team focused on the concept of ethical leadership.

What is an Ethical Leader? Although ethics is a consideration in many leadership styles, ethical leadership is guided by moral conduct and moral decision-making. In the context of scientific research institutions, ethical leaders go beyond ensuring the lab is safe, the data is accurate, and that credit is given where it is due – they also set the tone for the larger organization’s research practices and actively encourage their R&D teams to think critically about the societal and ethical implications of their collaborative work. What happens if the technology fails? What if it succeeds and is added to a medical device that it implanted in the human body? How might the technology affect the environment if it gets into the water supply?