Overview
Background
Dr Curtis is a recipient of the 2018 'ABC Top 5 Scientist Media Residency Award'.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-06/meet-the-abcs-top-5-scientists-for-2018/9839468.
Dr Curtis is interested in science and technology and their impacts on society. She comes from a robust science foundation in genomics with subsequent training and experience in policy and communication. More recently, her work has expanded to be more interdisciplinary, investigating the impact of science and emerging technology on society - with a particular focus on trust in artificial intelligence and emerging genomics technologies She has a deliberate focus on public and stakeholder engagement to foster the important debates required for the responsible introduction of technology.
Dr Curtis was honoured with a 2019 'Australian Institute of Science & Policy Tall Poppy Science Award', recognizing excellence in both research and science communication.
https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2019/09/no-limits-uq%E2%80%99s-tall-poppies
She was also a Queensland 2019 Flying Scientist, with the Office of the Queensland Chief Scientist.
Research
Caitlin's research spans both science and humanities to look at some of the emerging ethical, legal and social issues being created by the advances in genetic technology and artificial intelligence systems, in order to inform policy debate on these important issues. Dr Curtis is a member of the UQ Centre for Policy Futures and the Trust, Ethics, and Governance Alliance Research Hub (TEGA) - which brings together experts from the Business School and the TC Beirne School of Law. She has a depth of experience in engaging with government and the public, and interpreting research into policy.
Teaching
- Caitlin currently teaches the new UQ Master of Business Analytics course: Responsible Artificial Intelligence - which looks at the ethical, legal, and social issues relating to AI and automated systems.
- She also lectures into Responsible Management for the Global Economy, particularly around the ethical and responsible management of artificial intelligence and similar technologies.
She also coordinates and moderates the UQ AI Collaboratory's 'Ask Me Anything about AI' series, which is a unique forum that brings together panellists with technical expertise in artificial intelligence, along with experts from across social science, communication, policy, or law to answer audience questions and spark multidisciplinary discussion around important topics relating to AI systems, including: AI social media predictions, facial recognition systems, misinformation and AI, and deep learning.
Availability
- Dr Caitlin Curtis is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of South Florida
Research interests
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Applied ethics: Responsible deployment of emerging technologies
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Digital Governance: public trust and ethical deployment of AI in society
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Governance and predictive applications of digital genomic data
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Equitable access to and policy to support emerging biotechnology & AI in health
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Effective communication of science and emerging technology
Research impacts
Dr Curtis's has presented her work on ‘Protecting trust in medical genetics in the new era of genomics’ (Curtis et al, 2018), in a Queensland Parliamentary briefing, and she has engaged in invited discussions about the work with MPs, Queensland Police, the media, and other key stakeholders around the work. She has also been involved in creation of a secure, privacy-preserving genomics data-sharing, storage, and analysis technology platform (under provisional patent). Dr Curtis also has experience in lecturing, mentoring, PhD supervision, and developing ECR workshops.
Dr Curtis is regularly invited to discuss her work in the media. She has recently discussed her work with ABC 7.30 Report (June 15, 2020). The link to the 7.30 report is availalbe here (approx. 7 minutes).
She has created content for The Health Report with Norman Swan and ABC Radio National's Ockham's Razor, as well as speaking with TripleJ Hack, Radio New Zealand, Life Matters (ABC Radio National), and BBC World Business Report.
Dr Curtis was a leading Research Fellow in the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of genomics working group within Queensland Genomics.
Caitlin recently gave a media comment to Nature News about changes to the Australian Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) regulations on genome editing technology exempting CRISPR from GMO regulation, provided no new genetic material is added. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01282-8
She has recently worked in collaborations with KPMG on a nationwide survey on Trust in AI (Australian Insights 2020), and Acheiving Trustworthy AI - a Model for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, and she has presented in the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA)'s 'Public Interest Technology' forum in November 2020.
More information about Caitlin's research engagement and impact can be found on her website.
Works
Search Professor Caitlin Curtis’s works on UQ eSpace
Featured
2020
Other Outputs
Trust in Artificial Intelligence: Australian Insights
Lockey, Steve, Gillespie, Nicole and Curtis, Caitlin (2020). Trust in Artificial Intelligence: Australian Insights . Australia: The University of Queensland and KPMG. doi: 10.14264/b32f129
Featured
2020
Other Outputs
Human rights and technology project, submission #73 to the Australian Human Rights Commission
Curtis, Caitlin, Radke, Amelia and Hereward, James (2020). Human rights and technology project, submission #73 to the Australian Human Rights Commission. Human Rights and Technology Project: Australian Human Rights Commission.
Featured
2020
Conference Publication
PrivColl: practical privacy-preserving collaborative machine learning
Zhang, Yanjun, Bai, Guangdong, Li, Xue, Curtis, Caitlin, Chen, Chen and Ko, Ryan K. L. (2020). PrivColl: practical privacy-preserving collaborative machine learning. European Symposium on Research in Computer Security, Guildford, United Kingdom, 14-18 September 2020. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-58951-6_20
Featured
2019
Journal Article
Mitogenomic diversity in Sacred Ibis mummies sheds light on early Egyptian practices
Wasef, Sally, Subramanian, Sankar, O’Rorke, Richard, Huynen, Leon, El-Marghani, Samia, Curtis, Caitlin, Popinga, Alex, Holland, Barbara, Ikram, Salima, Millar, Craig, Willerslev, Eske and Lambert, David (2019). Mitogenomic diversity in Sacred Ibis mummies sheds light on early Egyptian practices. PLoS ONE, 14 (11) e0223964, e0223964. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223964
Featured
2019
Other Outputs
Policy futures: regulating the new economy
Hussey, Karen, Yarnold, Jennifer, McEwan, Christopher, Maher, Ray, Henman, Paul, Radke, Amelia, Curtis, Caitlin, Fidelman, Pedro, Vickers, Claudia and Brolan, Claire (2019). Policy futures: regulating the new economy. Policy Futures Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland.
Featured
2019
Other Outputs
How DNA ancestry testing can change our ideas of who we are
Curtis, Caitlin (2019, 04 01). How DNA ancestry testing can change our ideas of who we are The Conversation
Featured
2019
Journal Article
What does Australia’s investment in genomics mean for public health?
Belcher, Andrea, Mangelsdorf, Marie, McDonald, Fiona, Curtis, Caitlin, Waddell, Nicola and Hussey, Karen (2019). What does Australia’s investment in genomics mean for public health?. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 43 (3), 204-206. doi: 10.1111/1753-6405.12887
Featured
2019
Conference Publication
Enabling privacy-preserving sharing of genomic data for GWASs in decentralized networks
Zhang, Yanjun, Zhao, Xin, Li, Xue, Zhong, Mingyang, Curtis, Caitlin and Chen, Chen (2019). Enabling privacy-preserving sharing of genomic data for GWASs in decentralized networks. Twelfth ACM International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 11-15 February 2019. New York, NY, United States: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/3289600.3290983
Featured
2018
Other Outputs
Dramatic advances in forensics expose the need for genetic data legislation
Curtis, Caitlin, Hereward, James, Devereux, John, Hussey, Karen and Mangelsdorf, Marie (2018, 12 19). Dramatic advances in forensics expose the need for genetic data legislation The Conversation
Featured
2018
Journal Article
Protecting trust in medical genetics in the new era of forensics
Curtis, Caitlin, Hereward, James, Mangelsdorf, Marie, Hussey, Karen and Devereux, John (2018). Protecting trust in medical genetics in the new era of forensics. Genetics in Medicine, 21 (7), 1483-1485. doi: 10.1038/s41436-018-0396-7
Featured
2018
Other Outputs
Tweaking just a few genes in wild plants can create new food crops - but let's get the regulation right
Hereward, James and Curtis, Caitlin (2018, 10 24). Tweaking just a few genes in wild plants can create new food crops - but let's get the regulation right The Conversation
Featured
2018
Other Outputs
Submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission, Human Rights and Technology Project
Curtis, Caitlin, Mangelsdorf, Marie and Hereward, James (2018). Submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission, Human Rights and Technology Project. Australia: Australian Human Rights Commission.
Featured
2018
Journal Article
The Sacred Ibis debate: the first test of evolution
Curtis, Caitlin, Millar, Craig D. and Lanbert, David M. (2018). The Sacred Ibis debate: the first test of evolution. PLOS Biology, 16 (9) e2005558, e2005558. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2005558
Featured
2018
Other Outputs
Online genealogy has created an unregulated forensic database for police
Curtis, Caitlin (2018, 08 13). Online genealogy has created an unregulated forensic database for police ABC Online
Featured
2018
Other Outputs
Criminals can’t easily edit their DNA out of forensic databases
Curtis, Caitlin and Hereward, James (2018, 05 11). Criminals can’t easily edit their DNA out of forensic databases The Conversation
Featured
2018
Journal Article
DNA facial prediction could make protecting your privacy more difficult
Curtis, Caitlin and Hereward, James (2018, 05 02). DNA facial prediction could make protecting your privacy more difficult The Conversation
Featured
2018
Other Outputs
New cryptocurrencies could let you control and sell access to your DNA data
Curtis, Caitlin and Hereward, James (2018, 01 23). New cryptocurrencies could let you control and sell access to your DNA data The Conversation
Featured
2017
Other Outputs
It’s time to talk about who can access your digital genomic data
Curtis, Caitlin and Hereward, James (2017, 12 04). It’s time to talk about who can access your digital genomic data The Conversation
Featured
2017
Other Outputs
From the crime scene to the courtroom: the journey of a DNA sample
Curtis, Caitlin and Hereward, James (2017, 08 29). From the crime scene to the courtroom: the journey of a DNA sample The Conversation
Featured
2014
Journal Article
DNA fingerprinting in zoology: past, present, future
Chambers, Geoffrey K., Curtis, Caitlin, Millar, Craig D, Huynen, Leon and Lambert, David M (2014). DNA fingerprinting in zoology: past, present, future. Investigative Genetics, 5 (3) 3. doi: 10.1186/2041-2223-5-3
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Caitlin Curtis is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
A First Nations Cancer Cohort Study
Associate Advisor
Completed supervision
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Privacy-preserving Sharing for Genome-wide Analysis
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ryan Ko, Associate Professor Guangdong Bai, Professor Xue Li
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Invasion History and Evolution of the Asian Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) and the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) in the Indo-Pacific
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr James Hereward, Professor Nigel Beebe
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Caitlin Curtis directly for media enquiries about:
- Ancestry DNA testing
- Consumer genetic testing
- Genetic privacy
- Genomics
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