November 09, 2021

Kris Unsworth, PhD, assistant teaching professor of criminology and justice studies, has been appointed director of the Center for Science, Technology and Society, effective Fall 2021. She will lead the planning and implementation of initiatives to increase the visibility of the Center both inside and outside the university.

Unsworth received her PhD in Information Science from the University of Washington in 2010. She is an expert in ethics, information technologies and policy.

Her research centers on information justice, which includes the ethics of data access and use as well as policy development that addresses the equitable use of information across society. She is an active faculty member in the Justice Informatics program in Criminology and Justice Studies where courses and research focus on the intersections between information technology, people and justice. She was co-Principal Investigator for a National Science Foundation research project on the Ethics of Algorithms [NSF EESE1338205], which led to the creation of case studies that are used in ethics education in computer science and engineering. She has published peer review articles in the Journal of Information Ethics, Engaging Science, Technology and Society, and Journal of Urban Technology.

Unsworth is a talented instructor who teaches a range of courses in Department of Criminology and Justice Studies, Center for Public Policy, and Center for Science, Technology and Society that explore the relation between surveillance, technology and information as well as issues related to information policy.