Conference to focus on doing data right in Edinburgh

Best-selling author Caroline Criado Perez will visit the University of Edinburgh on Tuesday 10 September to speak at the conference Doing Data Right: Through People and Partnerships.

Caroline Criado Perez is the author of Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, which shines a light on the data gender gap behind a deep-rooted bias affecting women’s lives. Caroline will deliver a keynote talk and join a panel discussion on issues of diversity in jobs and skills.

Jarmo Eskelinen, Executive Director of the University’s Data-Driven Innovation (DDI) programme, said: “We’re thrilled to have Caroline as our keynote. She’s done pioneering work in gaining recognition for women in media, politics and society at large. Data-driven services are only as good as the data behind them, and can be discriminating to women because of a conscious or unconscious bias in either data, or the development process – Caroline’s work has made the innovators much more aware of this.”

From social inclusion to ethics, from skills to business, the emerging data economy cuts across many issues that matter to society and industry. The conference will address how businesses are using data to develop and diversify, and how charities are collaborating with researchers to tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges.

The flagship event marks the first year of the DDI programme and will bring together key players from business, academia, and the public and charity sectors. The conference is being delivered jointly by the Scotsman newspaper and the DDI programme.

The line-up includes speakers from a diverse range of organisations including UNICEF, the Open Knowledge Foundation, professional services company Accenture, and data consultancy Mudano.

The DDI programme launched in September 2018 as part of the City Region Deal, to tackle a range industry and social challenges in partnership with the private, public and third sectors.

Doing Data Right: Through People and Partnerships takes place on Tuesday 10 September at the University of Edinburgh. Click here to register.