As Canada and the world grapple with the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and the growing complexities of data governance, it is becoming increasingly necessary to develop frameworks that guide innovation while protecting the public interest.
Renewed as the Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy, Dr. Teresa Scassa research provides a holistic, grounded, interdisciplinary and novel approach to the study of the relationship between new technologies and their legal frameworks. She explores the governance of both data and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, balancing innovation and public good with privacy and human rights.
Building on the foundational work of her first Canada Research Chair term, her research program will combine doctrinal legal methods with regulatory theory and interdisciplinary approaches to deepen understanding of how AI technologies can be effectively governed. Professor Scassa’s proposed research addresses two broad themes: 1) developing and shaping the legal infrastructure of AI and data governance in a way that respects human rights; and 2) ensuring fair and appropriate access to and use of data. A third theme cuts across these two, namely 3) understanding and critically assessing the evolving technological and normative tools for AI and data governance.
Dr. Teresa Scassa is a Full Professor in the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section and a Faculty member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society at the University of Ottawa. Her research is enriched by her understanding of data from both technical and critical data studies perspectives; and from her approach to AI regulation that embraces a broad understanding of the regulatory tools available and the different theories and approaches to regulation in this context.
The Canada Research Chair Program is a tri-agency initiative of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs are awarded to outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. A Tier 1 CRC carries a term of seven years and is renewable once.
The renewal of Professor Teresa Scassa’s Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy highlights her leadership in shaping legal and policy frameworks for data governance and privacy. Her interdisciplinary work, shaped by engagement with policymakers, regulators, and civil society, continues to inform and influence a wide range of communities.
Congratulations to Dr.Teresa Scassa!