# Bailey Flanigan's Interdisciplinary Career Journey She built a groundbreaking career at MIT by following her curiosity. - **Source:** [MIT News — AI](https://news.mit.edu/topic/artificial-intelligence2) - **Published:** 2026-07-17 - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/40e6f24a-9009-46c7-ab66-486688d1c612 ## A Career Shaped by Curiosity Growing up on a farm in Wisconsin, Bailey Flanigan had a wide range of interests from an early age. Her curiosity spanned medicine, music, social inequality, and experimental construction projects, laying the foundation for her interdisciplinary work. In high school, she focused on creative subjects, carving her own path. ## Academic Journey and Mentors Flanigan conducted cancer research at the University of Wisconsin but sought to broaden her impact. She shifted to public health, developing microfluidic devices for HIV detection in low-resource settings. Mentors like Steven Wright, Debbie Berger, and Julie Stubbs helped her gain the confidence to apply to prestigious institutions like MIT. ## Transformation Through Mathematics Attending Evita Nestoridi's real analysis class at Princeton was a turning point for Flanigan. Her passion for math led her to pursue a PhD in computer science at Carnegie Mellon, where she began researching social choice theory. She developed algorithms to improve representation in citizens' assemblies. ## Democracy and Technology Flanigan's research focuses on enhancing democratic participation. Her algorithms randomly select participants for citizens' assemblies, addressing representation issues. For example, they prevent overrepresentation of young, educated individuals in assemblies discussing topics like artificial intelligence. ## The Secret to Interdisciplinary Success Flanigan's success stems from her ability to blend knowledge from diverse fields. Her experiences in medicine, economics, computer science, and political science enable her to devise innovative solutions. This approach brings technical answers to complex social problems. ## An Inspiring Role Model Bailey Flanigan's story is an inspiration for anyone who follows their curiosity and seeks mentorship. Her interdisciplinary work bridges democracy and technology, demonstrating the value of crossing traditional boundaries and remaining open to learning. ## Sources covering this story - https://news.mit.edu/2026/following-questions-where-they-lead-bailey-flanigan-0717 — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._