The Women in AI speaker series, a collaboration between the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and Deloitte, welcomes Joanna Batstone, a leading global expert on artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, and the inaugural director of the Monash Data Futures Institute, which supports the use of AI and data science for social good through collaborative research and industry engagement.
In this talk, Batstone will share examples of her recent work bringing together cross-disciplinary expertise and international partnerships to leverage AI and data science for policy and social good initiatives such as sustainable development and health science, in contexts including IBM’s research and development laboratories and the Monash Data Futures Institute.
Talk title:
“AI and data science for good: A journey from industry to university”
Abstract:
Monash University has recently opened the Monash Data Futures Institute that brings together leading cross-disciplinary expertise, international partnerships, and a large affiliate network to address future technologies, social partnerships, and advanced applications. The new Institute's initial focus areas include using data-driven AI to enhance governance and policy, sustainable development, and health sciences.
After starting a research career as a physicist in the UK, over the last 30 years, Joanna Batstone has led a variety of projects at the intersection of data analytics and artificial intelligence, primarily in industry with IBM in the USA, Ireland, and Australia. Partnerships with clients and universities resulted in projects in the areas of healthcare and life sciences, energy and utilities, law financial services, and sustainable development. Batstone will share examples of work from a range of technical and business leadership roles in IBM’s research and development laboratories including work with IBM Watson Data & AI, in addition to examples of the AI and data science work underway at Monash in the context of Australia's opportunity for AI leadership around social change.
About Joanna Batstone
Joanna Batstone is a leading global expert on AI, data analytics and technology. She has more than 20 years in top executive roles in the USA, Europe, and Australia, where she has helped universities, companies, and government use leading technology to meet their goals.
Batstone is the inaugural director of the Monash Data Futures Institute at Monash University, supporting government, companies and organizations in using AI, data science and analytics to develop governance and policy for social good. She is building a global reputation for the institute’s ground-breaking work, along with a digital ecosystem to foster collaborative research and build industry engagement. Responsible for data science and AI across the university, she is passionate about the benefits of AI driving major change for social good. Batstone was previously a vice-president at IBM, where she held a range of leadership roles in IBM’s research and development laboratories.
Batstone received a PhD in physics from the University of Bristol, followed by postdoctoral work at AT&T Bell Laboratories, and a lectureship in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Liverpool before joining IBM. She has published over 80 research papers, has organized and spoken at many industry conferences, and has received numerous medals and awards for her research. Batstone was an honorary enterprise professor at the University of Melbourne School of Engineering, a member of the Innovation Expert Panel for the Government of Victoria, the NSW Data Analytics Centre Advisory Board, and currently serves on the RMIT University Sector Expert Research Advisory Group. In 2022, Batstone received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Bristol.
About Women in AI
Women in AI is a six-part virtual speaker and mentorship series developed by the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society in collaboration with Deloitte that connects a global audience with a diverse group of female thought leaders in the field of AI research. The Women in AI series convenes leading female AI researchers to share knowledge and mentorship opportunities through seminar events that promote opportunities for women across the technology sector. Participants will explore how women are leading the development of new technologies and approaches, and investigating emerging trends across the sector. The series provides insights into cutting-edge research, bold points of views, and help business and community leaders elevate diverse voices while promoting opportunities for women to share their perspectives.