Dr. Kelly Bronson is the Canada Research Chair in Science and Society, a Faculty member at the Centre for Law, Technology, and Society, and an Associate Professor at the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Dr. Kelly Bronson is a social scientist studying the social and environmental justice impacts from emergent technologies – notably, big data & AI. Her research aims to marry public values with technical know-how in the production of governance frameworks and processes around tech which are ethical and robust. She publishes her work in reputable journals across disciplines such as Nature (Food), npj Agricultural Sustainability and Big Data & Society. She has authored two books: Immaculate Conception of Data (2022, McGill-Queen’s University Press) and AI at the Table (forthcoming, University of California Press).
Dr. Bronson currently leads the Science & Society collective which is working on several large SSHRC-funded research projects – one on the governance of data and AI in the food system, and another on the environmental impacts of data centres. She uses a variety of methods, including design workshops, large surveys and qualitative field work to assess the risks from the collection and use of personal information and from algorithms. Her work feeds directly into policy-making, such as her contributions to the peer review process for automation within government of Canada. She regularly advises government – from the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and frequently communicates her knowledge to academic and public audiences.
Before joining the University of Ottawa, Dr. Bronson was the Director of a Science and Technology Studies program at St. Thomas University in New Brunswick, Canada. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication and Cultural Studies from York University, Toronto, and a Master’s degree in Sociology of Technology from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Before training in the social sciences, Dr. Bronson earned degrees in biology and worked as a lab bench scientist practicing genetics/plant biology at Queen’s University.
Dr. Bronson is authorized to supervise students at all levels, including Ph.D.