
Fighting COVID-19 Misinformation
FAS is fighting misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, translating the most updated science for the public, and serving as a resource for policymakers all over the country.
If you have expertise in public health, science communication, or other fields critical to pandemic response, join dozens of specialists who are already taking action to provide the best information to the public and federal and state legislators.
How We're Serving the Community During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Answering the public’s questions about COVID-19
The Coronavirus Misinformation Project is waging a grassroots fight against misinformation. To do this, the team launched Ask a Scientist, a project which recruited hundreds of volunteer scientists to answer thousands of the public’s questions about everything from social distancing to virus transmission to new treatments and vaccines. Our volunteer scientists worked to debunk misinformation directly for the public and create a thoughtful and informative knowledge base about the COVID-19 pandemic that has served millions.
Advising policymakers on the latest COVID-19 research
The Coronavirus Misinformation Project team is recruiting top scientists in the fields of epidemiology, virology, public health, supply chain management, and others to quickly provide expert counsel to policymakers about the COVID-19 pandemic. This COVID-19 Rapid Response Task Force has already advised multiple Members of Congress regarding cutting-edge scientific developments in new therapeutic options for COVID-19, as well as public health recommendations.
Tackling disinformation on social media
The Coronavirus Misinformation Project is now taking on disinformation at its source, social media. The Disinformation Research Group uses advanced software tools to identify accounts promoting misleading or untrue information about the COVID-19 pandemic and publishes in-depth reports about its origins and influence.
Creating crowdsourced resources for Congress
The Congressional Science Policy Initiative (CSPI) provides timely, data-driven resources and questions from our extensive network of scientists to Members of Congress ahead of hearings about the government’s response to the pandemic. The goal is to provide the best background information so policymakers are equipped to engage hearing witnesses as effectively as possible.
The Team

Ali Nouri, PhD
CSPI Lead & FAS President
Former Senate Legislative Director
Virologist & molecular biologist

Michael A. Fisher, PhD
CSPI Co-Lead & FAS Senior Fellow
Former campaign Field Director
Synthetic biologist & protein engineer

Lindsay Milliken
CSPI Teammate & FAS Research Assistant
Former government relations staffer
Political science & physics

Kathryn Kohn, MA
CSPI Teammate & FAS Comms Manager
Former campaign Comms Director
Political theory & communications

Amir Bagherpour, PhD
Disinformation Project Lead & FAS Adjunct Fellow
Disinformation risk detection & forecasting

Neekta Hamidi, MPH, MS
Disinformation Project Teammate & FAS Adjunct Fellow
Associate at Schmidt Futures
Biomedical engineer