About us – 30,000 Hours

The 30,000 Hours podcast was born out of many conversations where the idea of “expert” when it comes to topics like learning or tech seems squishy. Most of us have schooling experience and tech experience, so what makes one person more “expert” than someone else? Academic expertise is often difficult to quantify outside of academia, but the idea of “30,000 hours” gives a sense of the amount of time we have put in to deeply understanding a topic. K. Anders Ericsson estimated that an expert put 10 years or 10,000 hours into their craft, whether a pianist, chef, olympian, or scholar. Beyond this training and mastery are the years we continue to refine and develop our understanding.

Dr. Monica Bulger studies children’s data privacy and advises policy both nationally and globally. She is Founder of Literacy Online, research that amplifies children’s rights in a digital world. She is a Senior Fellow at the Future of Privacy Forum where she conducts national interviews of families, school staff, and state and federal privacy officers. Monica has consulted for UNICEF since 2012 focusing on children’s rights in the digital age, particularly data privacy and prevention of online child sexual exploitation. Her research encompasses 16 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South America, North America, and Europe.

A teaching fellow of the National Writing Project, Monica specializes in distilling research for broad audiences. Monica’s research has featured in PBS NewsHour, The Economist, New York Times, Washington Post, and Education Week. She is a Research Associate of the Oxford Internet Institute, Research Affiliate at the Data & Society Research Institute, and 2014-2015 Fellow of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Monica serves on international advisory boards for Global Kids Online and the International Child Redress Project. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara.