Discussion Panel

Matrix on Point: Humanitarian Technologies

Monday, September 26, 2022
1:00 pm to 2:30 pm PDT
Online

Sponsored by the UC Berkeley Social Science Matrix

Now more than ever, humanitarianism is being conducted at a distance. As humanitarian efforts shift from in-kind and in-person assistance to cash- and information-based assistance, how does this change what humanitarian work looks like? At this Matrix on Point panel, a group of experts will examine how technology raises new questions about the efficacy of humanitarian interventions, the human rights of recipients, and the broader power relations between donors and recipients.

Panelists

Daragh Murray
Senior Lecturer
University of Essex Human Rights Centre & School of Law

Fleur Johns
Professor
Faculty of Law & Justice
UNSW Sydney

Wendy Wong
Professor of Political Science
Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
University of Toronto

This panel is part of the Matrix On Point discussion series, an event series focused on cross-disciplinary conversations on today’s most pressing contemporary issues. Offering opportunities for scholarly exchange and interaction, each Matrix On Point features the perspectives of leading scholars and specialists from different disciplines, followed by an open conversation. These events are free and open to the public.

Register Now

A Zoom link will be sent to registrants prior to the event.

Panelists

Daragh Murray

Daragh Murray is a senior lecturer at the University of Essex Human Rights Centre & School of Law. He was recently awarded a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship: ‘What does Artificial Intelligence Mean for the Future of Democratic Society? Examining the societal impact of AI and whether human rights can respond’. This four-year interdisciplinary project began in January 2020, and the project team will draw on expertise in human rights law, sociology, and philosophy. Current research has a particular emphasis on law enforcement, intelligence agency, and military AI applications, although the scope of the project is broader. Daragh’s research expertise is in international human rights law and the law of armed conflict. He has a specific interest in artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies, and in using human rights law to more effectively inform ex ante decision-making processes.

Fleur Johns

Fleur Johns is professor in the Faculty of Law & Justice at UNSW Sydney working in international law, legal theory, and law and technology. She is also an Australian Research Council future fellow and, in 2021–2024, a visiting professor at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She has published four books and has a forthcoming monograph under contract with Oxford University Press, co-authored with Caroline Compton, entitled #Help: Digital Humanitarianism and the Remaking of International Order. Fleur has held visiting appointments in Europe, the UK, the US, and Canada and serves on a range of editorial boards, including those of the American Journal of International Law and the journals Science, Technology & Human Values and Technology and Regulation. Fleur was elected to Fellowship of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia in 2020 and currently serves on its executive committee as international secretary. Fleur is a graduate of Melbourne University (BA, LLB) and Harvard University (LLM, SJD; Menzies Scholar; Laylin Prize). Her Twitter handle is @FleurEJ.

Wendy Wong

Wendy H. Wong studies global governance. She is particularly attentive to how non-state actors (e.g., nongovernmental organizations, civil society actors, social movements, and corporations) govern at the global and domestic levels. Her areas of interest are emerging technologies like AI, big data, human rights, and humanitarian assistance. Dr. Wong has written two award-winning books, penned dozens of peer-reviewed articles and chapters, and has contributed to outlets such as The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, and The Conversation. She has been awarded grants from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, among other granting agencies.

Currently, she is professor of political science at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan (Sylix Okanagan Nation Territory) and Principal’s Research Chair.  Dr. Wong is a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists.  She is currently on leave from the University of Toronto. Previously, she was research lead at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society at the University of Toronto. From 2012–2017, she was director of the Trudeau Center for Peace, Conflict, and Justice at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

Last updated:

September 8, 2022