Mhairi Aitken

Mhairi Aitken is an Ethics Fellow in the Public Policy Programme at the Alan Turing Institute – the UK’s national institute for data science and AI.

Mhairi’s research examines social and ethical dimensions of digital innovation particularly relating to uses of data and AI. She has a particular interest in the role of public engagement in informing ethical data practices and is passionate about finding creative ways of engaging members of the public in discussions around the future roles of data and AI in society.

Prior to joining the Turing Institute, Mhairi was a Senior Research Associate at Newcastle University and between 2009 and 2018 a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. Her past research has covered topics including the role of machine learning in finance; governance of data-intensive health research; ethical considerations around secondary uses of health data and; planning and development processes relating to renewable energy projects.