About

Sylvester A. Johnson is Assistant Vice Provost for the Humanities and Executive Director of the “Tech for Humanity” initiative advancing human-centered approaches to technology at Virginia Tech. He is the founding director of the Center for Humanities, which is supporting human centered research and humanistic scholarship at Virginia Tech. Sylvester’s research has examined religion, race, and empire in the Atlantic world; religion and sexuality; national security practices; and the impact of intelligent machines and human enhancement on human identity and race. He is a Professor in the Department of Religion and Culture and a design team affiliate faculty member in Virginia Tech’s socio-technical, transdisciplinary Calhoun Honors Discovery Program. Before joining Virginia Tech, Sylvester held academic appointments in African American Studies and Religious Studies at Northwestern University, Indiana University, and Florida A&M University.