Amy Beth Cyphert

By Kitty Lindsay

Growing up in Morgantown, WV, Amy Beth Cyphert has always held an unconventional perspective on her professional future.

“As a child, I wanted to be either the first female president of the U.S. or a makeup artist,” she says. “My mom helpfully pointed out that I could do both if I was the president and did my own makeup for events.”

Though she did not become president or pursue a career in the makeup industry, Cyphert did forge her own unique path, first by triple-majoring in English, creative writing and professional writing at Carnegie Mellon University. Then, she attended Harvard Law School and, after graduating cum laude in 2005, landed a clerkship for the Honorable Laura Taylor Swain in the Southern District of New York. Two years later, she joined WilmerHale—a large-scale legal practice in the city—specializing in complex commercial litigation as well as First Amendment pro bono matters.

When she decided to exit her senior litigation associate position at the high-powered Manhattan law firm and take a job at West Virginia University (WVU) Honors College, plenty of people around her were perplexed, but Cyphert remained steadfast.

“I was leaving a Park Avenue law firm to come back to West Virginia and take a job as a program coordinator,” says Cyphert. “But I was confident I could always pivot if the job was not the right one.”

Looking back, Cyphert recognizes her unusual choice as a great teachable moment in trusting herself and her own instincts. At WVU, she eventually became director of the ASPIRE Office, where she helped students who were applying for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships. During that time, she also served as an adjunct professor at the law school. A joint appointment with the law school soon followed, and in 2024, she stepped into the role of full-time associate professor.

For Cyphert, a self-proclaimed nerd who genuinely enjoys school, becoming a law professor was a dream come true.

“When I was in law school, I remember really enjoying attending lectures across campus,” she says. “I also really enjoyed those moments when a legal doctrine would ‘click’ and I would feel like I was really starting to understand the law.”

One of those moments occured via one of her instructors in law school who was a technology law expert. Her time in their class sparked a deep and enthusiastic interest in the field and today much of Cyphert’s law practice focuses on the intriguing intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and law.

“I have been studying machine learning and AI systems since 2018,” says Cyphert. “I find emerging technologies fascinating and am always interested in how they do or do not map onto existing legal doctrines.”

Cyphert’s latest research examines generative AI, including how it is reshaping legal practice and the copyright issues it raises. She has also published work on technology regulation and the use of algorithms in criminal justice decision-making.

Her husband’s shared passion in all things high-tech only feeds her scholarship.

“My husband, who is so generous with his technical expertise, has always been a very large influence on my research. He is a cybersecurity researcher and a brilliant technical expert, and I enjoy having in-depth conversations with him about the field,” says Cyphert. “You can imagine how boring our three children find this.”

Cyphert considers herself blessed by the work she does, which spans developing and teaching courses like AI and the Law and Regulating AI, writing law review articles and serving the law school and university through various types of committee work. She counts cultivating the legal leaders of tomorrow as one of the most fulfilling parts of her work.

“It is incredibly rewarding to hear from former students who are now lawyers about how something I taught them is helping them in their practice,” says Cyphert. “I love that we are shaping the future of justice in this state.”

Cyphert’s geographic location also offers a significant advantage for her work.

“Morgantown is my hometown, and I genuinely love it here,” she says. “We have the perfect balance: gorgeous natural beauty in our backyard and a strong sense of community along with all of the wonderful opportunities a large research university brings, including cultural events, scholars from around the world and a team to cheer on in every season.”

Cyphert credits West Virginia for helping make her one-of-a-kind career possible.

“I received so much from this state growing up, including excellent schools and teachers,” she says. “Giving back is part of how I was raised. It means a great deal to me to be an educator here and to help shape the future of justice in the state and beyond.”

She cites kindness, too, as a powerful influence on her professional advancement.

“I was taught as a child that you lose nothing by choosing kindness when you can. I strive to treat people with respect and compassion, and I also try not to take myself too seriously,” says Cyphert. “It is remarkable when I reflect on how many times my career has been helped by a chance encounter where I treated someone with kindness or respect and they remembered that interaction years later.”

Of all her professional achievements, including the 2021 Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award from the Future of Privacy Forum for her article on machine-learning algorithms and online surveillance, Cyphert regards her large and loving family as her greatest success.

“I am so proud of how close all five of my siblings and parents and I are and also recognize how deeply blessed I am to have the support of my amazing husband and three incredible children,” she says. “My family is the foundation for everything else I have been able to achieve.”