Dr Bran Knowles

I am a Senior Lecturer jointly based in Lancaster University’s Data Science Institute and School of Computing and Communications. My research explores social and ethical considerations surrounding data systems, with a particular focus on ‘trust’. As it relates to matters under the umbrella of ‘sustainability’, I am keenly interested in the myriad social issues introduced by artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as the carbon costs of digital technologies.

I am principally a design ethnographer, experienced in field research, interviews and focus groups, as well as co-design methodologies. In my other funded work, I explore public attitudes to artificial intelligence and data sharing, mitigating bias in algorithmic hiring, and developing sociotechnical systems (such as virtual labs) to support environmental data science in the face of uncertainty. I currently serve as Secretary Treasurer for the ACM Europe Council, and am on the Executive Committee for the ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee, where I lead the working group on Climate Change. I lead the Data Science Institute’s ‘Society’ theme, looking at key contemporary issues relating to data and data systems.

My role on the team

I am a co-investigator of PARIS-DE, co-leading the instantiation of the Digital Sustainability Framework within a virtual design lab. I will be exploring in particular how carbon costs can be routinely documented (e.g. through narrative computing) within the AI development pipeline.

Why I wanted to join the team

I believe climate change is the most important issue of our time. But I also see climate change as a big tent issue, forcing us to make fundamental changes that would address a vast range of social harms. This project is unique in boldly engaging with the numerous, and sometimes competing, values that underly the design of digital systems, helping to ensure that innovation delivers social value while respecting environmental limits. My children (ages 7 and 4) motivate me to do this work.