Esme Stanford-Durkin

Gianna Goulding

Sandy Di Yu

SHL Digital’s PhD Community Advocate scheme is a yearly paid initiative intended to support and encourage the next generation of researchers and create a coherent network of PhD students who work on areas of research related to the lab. The call is open to all PhD researchers at the University. This year’s open call had a thematic focus around AI.

Amongst a large number of high-quality applications three outstanding candidates were selected: Gianna Goulding, Esme Stanford-Durkin, and Sandy Yu. We had a chat with them and asked about their motivations and plans.

What attracts you to SHL Digital, why do you want to be part of it?

Sandy: The Sussex Humanities Lab brings together a network of academics lending a critical eye to the continuously shifting field of digital technologies. I'm especially interested in how this critical lens coincides with the Lab’s interdisciplinary nature to produce creative approaches to digital humanities research. Being a part of this community means having the opportunity to help shape this research, and to contribute to the discourse that moulds our collective understanding of digital technologies.

Esme: What attracted me most about SHL Digital is its enthusiasm and active engagement in a wide range of academic perspectives. I am personally based in Informatics and Engineering, but the centre hosts countless interdisciplinary events in a state of the art, supportive setting - perfect for the nature of my research and perfect for learning, academic exploration, and inspiration. It’s an exciting community that I'm delighted and grateful to be part of.

Gianna: I love the interdisciplinary nature of SHL Digital, and the opportunities to convene researchers with diverse interests to connect and learn from each other.

What do you hope to achieve as part of your work as PhD community Advocate?

Sandy: As a PhD Community Advocate, I hope to provide ample opportunity for fellow research students to participate in the wide-ranging work undertaken at the SHL, and to foster enriching inter-departmental discussion that leads to collaborative research ventures.

Esme: I want to create an environment where PhD students feel encouraged and have the chance to exchange ideas freely. I want to understand what the community needs and set up opportunities for students to learn from each other, creating a safe space for minds to flourish! Being a PhD student can be a really isolating experience - but engaging with a community, where everyone is in the same boat, can make the postgraduate experience more productive, comfortable, and enjoyable.

Gianna: Through the research symposium and workshops we are planning, I’m excited to explore AI not just as a tool but as a subject for critical analysis in itself. Much of the discourse around AI from the sciences, social sciences and philosophy is focused on how AI is designed and what it can (or could) achieve. I’m looking forward to bringing the arts and humanities into this discussion as well, for example by thinking about AI as a cultural artefact, creative practice or set of narratives, particularly from an intersectional feminist perspective

The PhD Community Advocates Symposium will take place on Tuesday 25 June 2024.

For more information about this and other events contact Esme, Sandy, and Gianna on their Sussex email address, or email shl@sussex.ac.uk.

Bios:
Sandy Di Yu (she/her) is a part-time PhD researcher in Digital Media at the University of Sussex with a focus on the logic of optimisation as a component of digital technologies. Sandy is a co-managing editor of the CHASE-funded DiSCo Journal and has presented research at several conferences around the UK and abroad. She obtained an MA in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a BFA Hons. in visual arts and philosophy at York University, Toronto.

Gianna Goulding: I’m a first-year part time PhD student in Gender Studies. My research uses a figurative methodology to analyse the female robot in contemporary culture, looking at examples from fiction and non-fiction to explore society’s evolving relationship with gender and technology. I completed my Masters in Gender & Culture and my undergraduate degree in Philosophy, both from the University of Leeds. Since then, I have spent 15 years working as a project manager in sustainability, higher education and social innovation. I’m based in Dulwich, south London.

Esme Stanford-Durkin is an AI ethics researcher with a background in Computer Science. Her primary research focuses on preserving autonomy in AI driven environments. She explores AI’s influence and mitigation strategies for AI manipulation. Her work is interdisciplinary, blending insights from computer science, philosophy, psychology, and other fields. She is also the founder of a responsible AI start-up, Damuno, which aims to tackle AI manipulation and improve data ownership.