As a high school dropout with a PhD, I’m no stranger to forging a unique career path. I grew up in a household where my mother travelled the world selling some of the world’s first digital voice recognition systems and my father was a toy inventor (yes, you read that right!) From my inspiring parents I learned that there is no one ‘right’ way to do a thing–there is only the right way to do YOUR thing. I took that advice and went on to get a PhD all about belly dancing (really!) I’ve been working in a liminal zone between academia and the tech industry since 2011, with published academic research and executive-level business advisory experience focusing on innovation, creative industries, digital cultures, and the unique ethical challenges facing creative businesses today.
As a researcher for Creative Informatics, I helped the UK’s largest creative innovation cluster based in Edinburgh to drive £78.5M in Gross Value Added through over 130 funded R&D projects; over 430 new and safeguarded jobs; over 210 new products, services and experiences developed; and over 680 individual training places. The programme supported a thriving hub of innovative businesses working across all the UK’s creative industries from film to fashion to digital games. Alongside my research on data ethics for the creative industries, I also produced new artwork like my collaboration with glassmaker Inge Panneels, Picture Your Poisons, a personal, data-informed portrait of my own cancer treatment journey.
My work has been featured in publications like CEO Today, Verdict, and Computer Weekly. I’ve presented award-winning research on digital cultures at conferences like DataSummit, the SIBOS Swift Innovation Stage, Microsoft’s New Future of Work Symposium, Mozilla Festival and the Oxford Internet Institute’s Connected Life series. I was selected for the inaugural 100+ Brilliant Women Leading in AI Ethics list.
I’m a research affiliate of the Edinburgh Futures Institute, the Creativity, AI and the Human Cluster, the Centre for Data, Culture and Society, and a member of the International Coach Federation. I’m a Mental Health First Aider and an Associate Coach for Working With Cancer, who help people remain in and return to work following a cancer diagnosis.
I’m a committed activist for greater social and economic equality: I was a founding trustee of Ellpha, a charity that promotes gender equality through harnessing the power of AI. I’ve previously volunteered with DataKind UK, a charity that enables non-profits and social benefit organisations to use their data more effectively through volunteer data science projects. For my ‘day job’ I’ve worked with some of the most recognizable businesses in the world on developing their digital ethics strategies, thinking through the future of collaborative work, and considering how ‘weak signals’ (early indicators of change) can inform their decision-making strategy for innovative, sustainable futures.
When I’m not doing that, I enjoy exploring novel technologies through projects that are illuminating, aesthetic, or simply whimsical. See more about my work (and play) projects.
Caitlin E McDonald 