Rate My Professor Ellen Broad

Ellen Broad is an Associate Professor in the School of Cybernetics at the Australian National University, located within the College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics. Her academic interests focus on artificial intelligence ethics, open data, data standards and sharing, data privacy, and systems-driven technology design. Since joining ANU in 2019 as part of Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell's 3A Institute, which evolved into the School of Cybernetics, Broad has collaborated with academia, industry, and government on responsible AI system design and maintenance. Previously, she led engineering and design initiatives at CSIRO's Data61, developing API standards and software tools for secure data sharing under Australia's Consumer Data Right across banking, energy, and telecommunications sectors. In the UK and Europe, she served as Head of Policy for the Open Data Institute in London, expert adviser on data publishing models to the UK Environment Secretary, and Manager of Digital Projects and Policy for the International Federation of Library Associations & Institutions in The Hague. Broad also served as Science and Technology Adviser to the Australian Mission to the United Nations in Geneva and holds positions on the Australian Government's National Data Advisory Council, the ASIC Consultative Panel, and the Australian Studies Institute Advisory Board.

Broad authored the book Made by Humans: The AI Condition, published by Melbourne University Publishing in 2018, exploring humanity's role in AI development. Her peer-reviewed and commissioned publications include 'Who gets held accountable when a facial recognition algorithm fails?' in IQ: The RIM Quarterly (2018), 'Helping Organisations Navigate Ethical Concerns in their Data Practices' (commissioned report, 2017, with Amanda Smith and Peter Wells), 'Trade-offs in Algorithmic Risk Assessment: an Australian Domestic Violence Case Study' (2019, with Daniel McNamara, Timothy Graham, and Cheng Soon Ong), 'Starting With SOAP: rapid deployment of contract tracing in a pandemic' (2020, with Meru Sheel and others), and 'Gender and Artificial Intelligence' (2021, with Genevieve Bell and others). She has contributed articles to The Guardian, New Scientist, Harper’s Bazaar, Griffith Review, and the Royal Statistical Society’s StatsLife. As Associate Director for Education in the School of Cybernetics, Broad supports innovative postgraduate programs like the Master of Applied Cybernetics. She has delivered keynotes at events including SXSW in Austin, Texas, and co-designed the board game Datopolis to educate on open data principles.