Responsible Technology Institute Team
Professor Marina Jirotka
Institute DirectorMarina Jirotka is Professor of Human Centred Computing in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and Governing Body Fellow of St Cross College. She leads an interdisciplinary research group in that combines both social and computer science approaches to the design of technology – the group research into methods and approaches for building and evaluating technology responsibly in ways to enhance individual autonomy, wellbeing and promote and protect human values. Marina is an EPSRC Established Career Fellow conducting a five-year investigation into Developing Responsible Robotics for the Digital Economy. She is Director of the Responsible Technology Institute at Oxford, and she is co-director of the Observatory for Responsible Research and Innovation in ICT Ltd which provides Responsible Innovation (RI) services and training to ICT researchers and practitioners; she is also Editor in Chief of the Journal of Responsible Technology. She was specialist advisor to the House of Lords Select Committee on Communications for their inquiry into Children and the Internet and sits on the Steering Committee for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Data Analytics; Marina is a Chartered IT Professional of the British Computer Society where she is a member of the ICT Ethics Specialist Group committee. She was elected to the UK Computing Research Community (UKCRC) a highly selective grouping of the UK’s leading computing academics. She has published widely in international journals and conferences including Human Computer Interaction, Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Responsible Innovation.
Dr Carolyn Ten Holter
POLICY LEADCarolyn Ten Holter specialises in responsible innovation approaches in a variety of novel technology domains, including AI and quantum computing. She has a particular interest in policymaking and governance for novel technologies, and expertise in participatory and stakeholder-inclusive methods. As part of the RTI she leads the work on RAKE, an impact project within the Responsible AI UK Hub. She consults on the PARIS-DE and AMHDM projects, and liaises with the RTI’s networks of civil society organisations, projects, and other organisations that work on similar themes. She has degrees in law, librarianship & information science, and marketing communications. Her doctoral thesis developed novel approaches to the responsible development of quantum computing. Previous projects include an OPEN Policy Fellowship that incorporated a secondment to the Office for Quantum in DSIT, RoAD, ORBIT, ResQCCom and RAILS. She sits on the BCS Quantum Working Group and the Departmental Research Ethics Committee, and is part of the editorial board of the Journal of Responsible Technology.
Dr Lars Kunze
Technical LeadLars Kunze is a Departmental Lecturer in Robotics in the Oxford Robotics Institute (ORI) and the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, and a Stipendiary Lecturer in Computer Science at Keble College. He is a Programme Fellow of the Assuring Autonomy International Programme (AAIP) and a Co-Editor of the German Journal of Artificial Intelligence (KI Journal, Springer). At ORI, Lars leads the Cognitive Robotics Group (CRG).
Fabiano Carnelos
PROJECT MANAGERFabiano is a professional with a strong track record of leading cross-sector initiatives that drive innovation and deliver societal impact. At the Responsible Technology Institute, he supports multidisciplinary research on the societal dimensions of emerging technologies and leads strategic planning to advance the Institute’s mission of inclusive, ethical, and responsible innovation. He also drives international partnerships, identifies funding opportunities, develops proposals, and leads outreach to strengthen RTI’s global presence. With a background in economics and finance, and experience across corporate, entrepreneurial, and academic settings, Fabiano brings a structured yet flexible approach to project governance. He holds certifications in PRINCE2, Agile Scrum, PMO, and Design Thinking, and is known for aligning complex projects with strategic goals while enabling effective collaboration across diverse teams.
Dr Josimar Mendes
Research associateJosimar Mendes is a Research Associate, PhD in Psychology at the University of Sussex. His career is marked by clinical and academic experiences involving children and their families, particularly in legal settings. Throughout his career, he has been interested in investigating and comprehending issues related to family life and children’s rights and best interests. Dr Mendes was engaged in projects concerning youth participation and mental health – for instance, he helped to develop a digital tool (chatstory) to promote young people’s mental health and well-being through peer support and youth participation in Brazil. Dr Mendes is also an advocate for the recognition of children and young people as subjects of rights with inherent creative and transformative power to promote social justice and societal change. He believes young people should be seen as protagonists in social life, rather than mere spectators, especially in matters concerning their well-being, welfare and mental health.
Tyler Reinmund
DPhil studentTyler Reinmund is a DPhil Candidate in Computer Science at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on understanding how health and social care practitioners incorporate machine learning systems into their working practices. Tyler has a master’s degree in science and technology studies from University College London and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Oxford.
Ben Hardin
DPhil studentBen holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Honors from Purdue University. His research focuses on improving the psychological safety of autonomous vehicles through better interfaces and advanced affective computing. He investigates interfaces that adapt to the passenger’s cognitive state and deliver explanation information that can reduce workload and improve information understanding.
Jumana Baghabrah
DPhil studentJumana is a DPhil student in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford. Her work revolves around responsible research and innovation for robotics with a focus on cross-cultural acceptance of social robots. Jumana obtained her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Effat University, respectively.
Sydney Reis
DPHIL STUDENTSydney Reis is a DPhil Candidate in Computer Science at the University of Oxford. Her research uses ethnographic methods to understand how technology workers make sense of the geopolitical and international impacts of their work. She is also developing a technical tool to encourage this kind of reflection in the design and development of emerging technologies. Sydney has several years of experience in technology and innovation policy at both NATO and the Government of Canada. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario and a master’s degree in International Relations from Carleton University.
Varad Vishwarupe
DPhil studentVarad Vishwarupe is pursuing his doctoral studies under Professors Marina Jirotka and Ivan Flechais in the Human-Centred Computing research group at the Department of Computer Science. He is funded by the fiercely competitive doctoral merit scholarship from the Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford. His research interests lie at the confluence of Explainable Artificial intelligence, Human-Computer Interaction, Machine Learning, Ethical and Human-Centred AI. He hails from India and has published over 20 international research papers, 10+ granted patents and 500+ citations to his name. He was also India’s Top 30 under 30 Excellence in Technology Awardee ’23. Having worked in the industry and academia for a few years, he endeavours to use the knowledge and experience gained from these in his research. Varad believes that humans and humanity’s needs ought to be put first while developing state-of-the-art AI. He believes in taking an interdisciplinary approach to this, by amalgamating his skills from Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Human-Computer Interaction for developing Ethical, Responsible and Human-Centred AI systems that shall pave the way for heralding a morally responsible future of AI research.
Dr Keri Grieman
Associate MemberKeri is Research Associate on the RoboTIPS project. She obtained her PhD in law at the Alan Turing Institute and the Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary University of London. She is also a qualified lawyer in Ontario, Canada, and was previously the Google Policy Fellow for the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic. Her LLM on liability for self-driving vehicles sparked her interest in responsible innovation and governance of AI, and her research focuses on bridging the technical and legal gap in the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI).
Keri joined RoboTIPS in autumn 2021, and works alongside Marina Jirotka and Pericle Salvini on human-centred responsibility for robotics, adaptive regulation and governance, and the reconciliation of robotics and autonomy.
Dr Lucas Somavilla
Associate MemberLucas Somavilla is a researcher on the EPSRC project Design Principles and Responsible Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Economy (PARIS-DE) in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford. He is an interdisciplinary researcher applying a variety of lenses to the understanding of the role of responsible science, technology, and engineering innovation in decision-making, particularly on the application of knowledge systems and sustainability governance. Previously, Lucas has been involved in international development programmes (UCL, FCDO, UN) and the ORA/ESRC project Deltas’ Dealings with Uncertainty (DoUbT). He is an Honorary Research Fellow at UCL’s Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP), a member of the UCL Digital Technologies Policy Lab and the Earth System Governance (ESG) community (Future Earth). Relevant themes in his work include uncertainty, sustainability transformations, and anticipatory science and technology governance. He holds an MSc in Anthropology, Environment and Development (UCL) and a PhD in Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (UCL).
E-mail:lucas.somavilla@cs.ox.ac.uk
Dr Mira Wolf-Bauwens
Associate MemberDr Mira L Wolf-Bauwens leads the Responsible Quantum Computing effort in the Responsible & Inclusive Technologies Team at IBM Research. Mira also is a IBM Quantum Technical Ambassador. Mira holds a PhD in Political Philosophy on institutional recognition and normative evaluation of emerging technologies from University of Zurich with Visiting Research Fellowships at Columbia University and University of Oxford. She brings with her experience in technology ethics research, normative analysis, strategy and business consulting, development corporation, start-up leadership and digitalisation. In addition to her PhD, Mira also holds a MPhil in Politics (Political Theory) from the University of Oxford and an BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) from the University of York.
Dr Natasha Oughton
Associate MemberDr Natasha Oughton is the Quantum Computing Policy and Ethics Lead at the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre. Her work focuses on responsible and ethical quantum computing (REQC), and spans carrying out research into societal, ethical and policy implications, developing internal practices and guidance, and enabling stakeholders on REQC across the UK and global quantum computing landscape, including industry, policymakers, and researchers. She has an interdisciplinary background in both philosophy and physics, with a focus on quantum foundations, and wrote her DPhil thesis on understanding quantum theory through information-theoretic reconstructions at Somerville College, University of Oxford.
Vincent Bryce
Vincent completed his PhD at the Horizon Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Nottingham in 2023 and holds an MA in Human Resource Management. His thesis explored the ‘business case’ for responsible innovation, with a particular focus on workplace technologies. Interests include the expanding scope of organisational data collection, ways in which emerging technologies challenge responsible innovation methodologies, supplier perspectives on responsible technology use, implications of emerging technologies for philosophies of management, responsible innovation practices in different cultural settings, practitioner perspectives, the relationship between organisational culture and responsible innovation implementation, and agentic AI. He is an associate member of the Responsible Digital Futures group at the University of Nottingham and currently works full-time as a change management and Continuous Improvement practitioner, with an ongoing interest in research.