School of Social and Political Science

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Why did you choose to study your programme? Why the University of Edinburgh?

Unlike some other students I was a working professional for several years before I came back to do my masters degree. I worked for IBM as a model developer and data scientist, and I ended up doing AI ethics and AI governance work. I realised I was missing a whole spectrum of social and qualitative sciences with just a technical background. 

The Science and Technology in Society MSc was really one of the only programmes I was interested in. It had a great interdisciplinary group, bringing together people from political science, technology, risk management and business. The programme was the gem I was looking for – I wanted to study the social side of technology, and Edinburgh offered me exactly what I wanted! 

How did you get to where you are?

When I was in college, I was an engineer, studying AI systems on the ground. At this point AI was being deployed widely, but it didn’t have the same level of hype it has now in the GenAI era. Back then in the mid-2010s, we saw this being picked up by different enterprises – such as productivity tools – but generative AI wasn’t really a thing yet. Many people were interested in the potential of technology.

My first job out of college was working with IBM in their model development and data science team, living and working in their Washington D.C. office. I was particularly interested in the ethics and governance of AI, questioning ‘what if AI does something wrong?’ ‘What if it makes an incorrect predication?’. I wanted to move into governance and policy, and started working closely with the IBM AI Ethics board, alongside influential people in this space, such as Francesco Rossi and Christina Montgomery. It was at this point I Ieft IBM to get my masters degree at Edinburgh. I needed the skills to merge the technical and social side, to help me understand how this all interacts, and Edinburgh was the perfect way for me to do this. 

I had this wonderful year on the Science and Technology in Society programme where I was able to really focus on the qualitative and social sciences side of AI governance, as well as studying AI policy and AI in practice. I was fortunate to do my masters thesis with Data & Society, a civil society institute that focuses on the impacts of AI and other technologies in the real world. The option to do an embedded thesis with a real-world company was one of the biggest benefits of the STS masters degree. This was really impactful for me, working in a way that was providing new knowledge to practitioners, while also having that strong academic background. I went to Edinburgh to become better in these areas, and now I am in a position where I work full time in governance, oversight and research. It’s been a huge pivot point for my career. 

Due to my research background and the rigorous qualitative studies at Edinburgh, I have had the opportunity to lead our research and external engagement in my current role at Mastercard. We’re working alongside academics, publishing academic papers, putting out thought leadership, and taking forward on the ground research in the context of the company. The people that supported me at IBM, right through to those interested in policy and AI safety have had a huge impact on me. But my degree from Edinburgh really immersed me in the world of academics, and it’s exciting to be working in this space, bridging the gap between academia and industry. 

A highlight of my career has been starting to do more research at Mastercard. It’s been incredibly rewarding to create this, and see this flourish. 

How have you used the knowledge and skills gained from your time at Edinburgh in your career journey? What did you gain from your time at the University?

The team in the Science, Technology and Innovation department was so instrumental to me making connections. I really wanted to do my masters thesis with an organisation. Having the name of the University of Edinburgh, showing I am working alongside huge names in this space, such as Eugenia Rodrigues, Professor Shannon Vallor and Atoosa Kazirzideh, opened many doors for me to work with institutions that I had long wanted to collaborate with. Being able to start speaking the language of research, engagement and policy creation was incredibly useful. 

The quality of the instruction was transformative for me. I shifted from product and model development, to questioning the history of society, applying rigorous social science perspectives. The program offered a total epistemological shift in the way that I was thinking about technology, and unlocked a new level of critical thinking and analysis for me. This really changed the way I would approach problems. There are all these thorny problems we face – but there are tools and techniques to help us untangle these problems, and understand the risks. 

I’ll always be so grateful for my masters experience and for the community within the programme. They were so helpful and thoughtful. I made amazing friends and had a wonderful support system of professors and academics.

What 3 words describe your time studying at the School of Social and Political Science?

Magical, electric and transformative

What is your favourite memory from studying at the University of Edinburgh? 

There are more good memories than I could even count. My masters cohort was very close, there was only around 15 of us on our programme, so we had a lot of great parties and great times together. And lots of study and work sessions!

My most cherished memory was I when I was graduating at the beautiful McEwan Hall. I remember crossing the stage, waving at my parents who had flown all the way from the US to see me. It was the culmination of this small cohort of people – all of us graduating together, in our robes. We had done it! It was really meaningful. 

What advice would you give yourself if you were just starting your academic journey?

To abandon pursuit of things that you think are prestigious because other people think they're prestigious. Instead, choose to be driven by what makes you think critically and think well. Seek out spaces and communities that help you do that and support that.

Written 2025