An Interview with 2023 Student Paper Competition Winner, Meicen Sun
For the past several years, the Student Paper Competition has been an integral part of the TPRC annual conference. The competition gives graduate students the opportunity to receive feedback on their research and ultimately three finalists are invited to present at the conference. Dr. Meicen Sun was the winner of the 2023 Student Paper Competition for her paper, “A Double-Edged Bytesaber: Internet Control As A Production Subsidy And An Innovation Tax.” At the time of the contest, Meicen was a postdoctoral scholar at the Stanford University Cyber Policy Center, having just completed her Ph.D. at MIT. Since then, she has been an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Information Sciences and an affiliated faculty member with MIT FutureTech.
As we approach the deadline for the 2024 Student Paper Competition, Meicen generously offered to share her positive experience with TPRC to encourage other young scholars.
How did you know about TPRC?
I first learned about TPRC from my now-colleague, Madelyn Sanfilippo at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, when I was a Ph.D. student at MIT. It didn’t take long for me to recognize familiar faces when I attended my first TPRC in 2022, such as David Clark from MIT, whom I’d known from the Internet Policy Research Initiative there.
Sounds like this was your second time attending TPRC?
Yes, the first time as a Graduate Student Workshop participant in 2022, and the second time as a Student Paper Contest winner in 2023. It was a blast both times. The Workshop is an excellent venue to get substantive feedback and to meet colleagues and mentors. The vibe was stimulating, collegial, and low stress. I met many peers with whom I’ve remained in touch and/or reconnected at other conferences. The Workshop also afforded valuable insights into the TPRC community, so I felt quite comfortable presenting as a panelist last year.
Was your paper part of your degree program or did you write it specifically for TPRC? What made you decide to submit your paper for the competition?
The paper was a revised version of my job market paper based on my dissertation. You may be surprised by how few outlets there are for student research on the intersection of digital technology and policy, let alone those that also provide quality feedback. I didn’t think twice before submitting mine to TPRC.
How was your paper received at TPRC? What was the feedback like?
I was very humbled by the positive and thoughtful feedback. TPRC is exceptional in the diversity of perspectives represented by scholars, practitioners, and industry experts. With diversity come new opportunities. Following my panel presentation, our moderator, Scott Wallsten of the Technology Policy Institute, invited me to speak on their podcast, Two Think Minimum. Comments from the reviewers of the Student Paper Contest helped me revise my paper that was published in International Organization— a premier journal in international political economy and international relations.
How did you become interested in the intersection of Internet control, trade, and innovation?
I chanced upon this topic while undertaking fieldwork for another project in China early in my doctoral program. What initially seemed like glitchy Internet connection led me into investigating Internet control and, in turn, its impact on trade and knowledge production. Once the data I’d collected affirmed the hypotheses I’d formulated, the paper wrote itself.
Did you gain any inspiration for your next project?
Certainly, and that’s the most exciting part. I’m now extending my analysis to sovereign states’ control of cyberspace more broadly, with an eye on the development of large language models and generative AI. I would for sure appreciate some TPRC wisdom down the road, so consider yourself warned if we run into each other again soon!