Beth Simone Noveck directs the Governance Lab (GovLab) and its MacArthur Research Network on Opening Governance. She is a professor in Technology, Culture, and Society at NYU's Tandon School of Engineering. Noveck's current research focuses on �people-led innovation,� namely the ability of communities and institutions to work together to solve problems more effectively and legitimately. She directs programs to promote effective public engagement in lawmaking (CrowdLaw), to help public institutions expert-source and implement innovative solutions to hard problems (Smarter Crowdsourcing) and to train civic leaders and civil servants in how to collaborate with their own communities (Civic Challenges).�