Welcome to the Lab - Eric Owens and Claire McBride

We are excited to welcome Eric as a new doctoral student to the lab. Eric comes to us after recently completing his Master in Political, Legal, and Economic Philosophy from the University of Bern. He brings with him a diverse set of skills and knoweldge, with experience working as a Research Assistant, a Medical & Administrative Assitant, an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician & Clinical Educator, and an Emergency Department Technician.

For his doctroal thesis, Eric plans to do it on the topic of philosophy of medicine with focus on the integration of AI into the clinical realm along with phenomenological and epistemic perspectives of physicians. Relatedly, his thesis plans to explore issues of digital literacy and the cognitive burden(s) that AI may pose for physicians.

Please join us in welcoming Claire as a new doctoral student of the lab. Claire recently completed her Master of Science on the Social Science of the Internet at the University of Oxford, where she investigated the complex interplay of AI, trust, and autonomy within scientific research teams. Prior to this, Claire earned a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science and German from the University of California, Berkeley.

Claire's professional background includes experience in research, project management, and technology, with notable roles at organizations such as the Project Liberty Institute and Adverity. She has a strong commitment to community engagement, having done volunteer work with the Edgelands Institute and had previously a leadership role with the Undergraduate Journal of Sociology.

With an interest in the ethical and societal implications of AI in health and other sensitive contexts, Claire plans to work in the lab on examining the emergent landscape of ethical AI governance tools and frameworks to better understand their efficacy in the context of the developing regulatory and technological environments.