Data-Driven Innovations and Pandemics: Regulatory Responses

Data-driven technologies are crucial in pandemic responses. Population and individual data improve surveillance and understandings of disease, identification and testing of treatments and implementation of public health measures. The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the significance of a host of data-intensive initiatives, projects and schemes. Often, these involve innovative uses of existing datasets, assisted by rapid advances in technologies including machine learning, and facilitated through data sharing across organisations and countries, exploiting the transnational nature of the pandemic, an increase in public-private partnerships and global collaborations.

The imperative to ensure access to data is clear but not unproblematic as demonstrated by controversies relating to contact tracing apps and proposed ‘immunity passports’. Such technologies are often developed rapidly, in conjunction with commercial organisations and with little opportunity for public deliberation over whether such uses are acceptable. Such data uses raise various important regulatory concerns including ethical, legal and social implications for, for example: privacy, trust, transparency and equality. These can have immediate and long-lasting consequences for individuals and populations.

How do we ensure that data driven innovations can be developed in legally robust and ethically justifiable ways whilst accommodating the rapid response necessitated by global pandemics? How can we encourage the inclusion of stakeholder voices and concerns in such approaches? What lessons can be learned from previous uses of data during pandemics and how data was conceptualised in the past? This PhD will draw on legal, ethical, social science and historical methods to engage with these questions and the candidate will be supported to develop their own PhD topic in this area.

The candidate will be based at the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, an interdisciplinary research hub with a vibrant PhD community. This studentship is funded by the Edinburgh City Region Deal.

The PhD would commence in September/October 2020. It is expected that the student will be based in Edinburgh. Where this is not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the candidate will be supported to work remotely for the first few months. Regular updates on the current situation are available here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/covid-19/prospective-students

Supervisors:
• Dr Nayha Sethi, Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, Usher Institute, The University of Edinburgh.
• Dr Martyn Pickersgill, Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, Usher Institute, The University of Edinburgh
• Dr Lukas Engelmann, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies (STIS) & Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, The University of Edinburgh.

Requirements
A strong academic track record with a master’s degree in a relevant discipline or work experience relevant to the PhD. The successful candidate will draw on legal, ethical, sociological and historical methods. Please note that applications will be judged on this broad disciplinary merit and the capacity of candidates to speak to these methods, theories and work with colleagues from these disciplines. Given the PhD topic, a background in qualitative methods is highly desirable, while a basic understanding of quantitative approaches would be beneficial. The successful candidate will work in a highly interdisciplinary environment and should be able to work independently and as part of a team.

Following interview, the selected candidate will need to apply and be accepted on the Usher Institute Population Health Sciences PhD programme. Details about the programme and entry requirements can be found here: http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate/degrees/index.php?r=site/view&id=213

The University of Edinburgh is committed to equality of opportunity for all its staff and students, and promotes a culture of inclusivity. For more information on Equality and Diversity at the University of Edinburgh, visit:
https://www.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity

Application procedure
Please provide: (1) a CV; (2) a personal statement (1-2 pages) detailing your research interests and reasons for applying; (3) a 1 page research proposal outlining the research question you would like to explore and how; (4) degree certificate(s) (5) marks for your degree(s); and (6) the name and contact details for up to 2 academic referees. All documents should be in electronic format and sent via e-mail to:

[Email Address Removed] and [Email Address Removed] with subject line ‘CF DDI PhD’.

ENQUIRIES
Please direct all enquiries to [Email Address Removed] and cc to [Email Address Removed]

The closing date for applications is: 5pm on 15th July 2020.
Interviews will be held via video conference in August 2020.