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Dr Ana Valdivia

Lecturer in AI, Government & Policy

Dr Ana Valdivia

Lecturer in AI, Government & Policy

About

Ana Valdivia is a Departmental Research Lecturer in AI, Government & Policy at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII). Ana investigates how datafication is transforming political, social and ecological worlds. Building on her experience as a mathematician and computer scientist, her interest lies in investigating power relationships in algorithmic governance and how AI is impacting on local communities, borders and territories. In her research, Ana aims to examine the eco-political impact of algorithmic systems by understanding its life cycle from natural resources extraction to electronic waste dumps and how it could jeopardise fundamental rights.

As a postdoctoral researcher at King’s College London (UK), Ana explored how datafication technologies are transforming borders and migration governance. She developed digital methodologies to unveil which algorithmic systems are used in the field of border security, such as biometric systems or maritime surveillance algorithms. Ana led a collaboration with magistrates in Spain to understand the impact of gender-based violence risk assessment tools in the judicial system, featured at the Montreal AI Ethics Institute. Her transdisciplinary research agenda stems from the ability to combine quantitative and qualitative methodologies and collaborate with scholars from a range of different disciplines, including political science, philosophy and law. In 2022, Ana was awarded with the Post-Doctoral Enrichment Award by The Alan Turing Institute. Ana is also a co-editor of the Big Data & Society journal.

In the past, she conducted research in transdisciplinary teams to design technological solutions in the private sector. She is a former fellow of the Data Science for Social Good program at the University of Chicago (USA). She is collaborating with international grassroots organisations such as  AlgoRace or Tierra Común to raise awareness on how algorithmic harms impact racialised subjects. Ana collaborates with Post Apocalipsis Nau podcast, where she brings her critical perspective towards digital technologies to the general public. She also writes in the Jevon’s Paradox blog, where she examines power unbalances between science, technology and knowledge. Her work has been widely featured in international media outlets (Público, El País, El Salto, elDiario.es).

Research Interests

Algorithmic Governance, Critical Data Studies, Migration and Surveillance Technologies, Ecology and Politics of Algorithmic Systems

Areas of Interest for Doctoral Supervision

Artificial Intelligence and Social Justice, Fairness, Accountability and Transparency in Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing

Positions at the OII

  • Lecturer in AI, Government & Policy, September 2022 -

Research

Recordings

382273343528

News & Press

Blogs & Press releases

Teaching

Current Courses

Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency in Machine Learning

Integrating historical and cultural context with contemporary scholarship, this course equips students with the technical and conceptual tools to engage critically with machine learning research and practice.