About me

Hi. I'm a scientist interested in science and emerging technology and how they affect our lives.

I am a scientist and a Research Fellow in the School of Business and the Centre for Policy Futures at The University of Queensland - in Brisbane, Australia - with broad expertise in population genetics including commercial DNA ancestry and health testing, ancient DNA, DNA forensics, science communication, and policy. More recently, I’ve also been thinking about AI systems and public trust.

I'm excited to be a recipient of the 2018 ABC Top 5 Scientists media residency award. (Link is here). And I’m honoured to be the recipient of a 2019 Australian Institute for Policy and Science Tall Poppy Award.

I'm interested in the ways that science and technology impact society, and how society influences the trajectory of science.

I’m particularly interested in privacy issues surrounding digital DNA data and other emerging technology - including those driven by AI. My research spans both science and humanities to look at some of the emerging ethical, legal and social issues being created by the advances in genetic technology, in order to inform policy debate on these important issues.

What are the new challenges being presented along with the advances in science and technology?
How can genetic data be integrated to society in a way that benefits everyone equitably?

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Follow @DrCaitlinCurtis

Public engagement

I believe that effective communication is key to promoting a better understanding of science.

The 2018 Top 5 Scientist media residency award recipients. Link here

Our articles on genomics, technology, and society have been republished in 81 popular media outlets, including the ABC, SBS, and World Economic Forum.

(Click images for links to full articles)

dna ancestry testing and race screenshot the conversation.JPG

*Our DNA facial prediction article (above) sparked quite a lot of discussion - and the article featured on a few radio shows and podcasts.

Our article 'DNA facial prediction could make protecting your privacy more difficult' was discussed on the Dr Drew Midday Live Show in Los Angeles - with a former US federal prosecutor. (They weren't too familiar with the technology and wondered if … — Our article 'DNA facial prediction could make protecting your privacy more difficult' was discussed on the *Dr Drew Midday Live Show* in Los Angeles - with a former US federal prosecutor. (They weren't too familiar with the technology and wondered if it was a thought exercise.)
Listen here (it starts at minute 18:57).

Our article was also part of an interesting discussion on The Future, This Week. Listen here (it starts at minute 24.30) — Our article was also part of an interesting discussion on *The Future, This Week.* Listen here (it starts at minute 24.30)

Providing analysis:

Australia’s regulation of gene editing technologies (such as CRISPR-Cas9) have recently been amended. We spoke with Nature News about that — and a link to that story (April 2019) is here:

Nature, April 23, 2019. Story by Smriti Mallapaty.

Engaging with the media to encourage public discussion:

I recently spoke with the ABC 7.30 Report about some of the ethical complexities that people may not be aware of, around using ancestry DNA data in forensic crime solving. Part of a report by ABC journalist Grace Tobin. (About 7 minutes). June 2020.

You can watch that here (or click the image below for link to video).

There is also an article in ABC News, by Grace Tobin, to accompany the ABC 7.30 Report. A link to that news article is here.

Creating work with Academy of Science:

I recently spoke with the Australian Academy of Science about some of the ethical dilemmas surrounding ancestry DNA testing, and some of the issues that I think we should be thinking about and talking about with our digital genetic data.

You can watch that here.

Creating work in collaboration with the media to explore current topics.

World Science Festival:

I’ve explored ideas about how our collective fascination with DNA ancestry testing interacts with our ideas and conversations about race.

ABC Radio National Live Science Podcast: Ockham’s Razor - recorded live at the World Science Festival,

Brisbane, Australia. March 22, 2019.

caitlin curtis_ockhams razor_22MARCH2019.JPEG

Link to listen to the podcast is here (or click the image below for link to audio). Story about 10 minutes.

Ockham’s Razor Science podcast, ABC Radio National, March 31 2019. (12 minutes). Listen hereTopic: DNA Ancestry testing and race — **Ockham’s Razor Science podcast, ABC Radio National**, March 31 2019. (12 minutes). Listen here
Topic: *DNA Ancestry testing and race*

Creating work in collaboration with ABC RN The Health Report.

I also created a piece for ABC Radio National's The Health Report with Norman Swan, about some of the complex issues of the emerging forensic uses of open, crowd-sourced DNA databases.

(Click images for links to audio - story about 10 minutes.)

This is a report that I created during my residency at the ABC. (11 minutes). Listen here

Media interviews and discussions:

I’ve spoken about our articles in a few recent radio and television interviews, and a few of these are included here.

(Click photos for links to interviews)

Spoke with TripleJ HACK (May 3, 2018). Listen here

Spoke with Radio New Zealand (April 3, 2019). (11 minutes) Listen hereTopic: Ancestry DNA testing: why it doesn’t define culture. — Spoke with **Radio New Zealand** (April 3, 2019). (11 minutes) Listen here
Topic: *Ancestry DNA testing: why it doesn’t define culture.*

Spoke with Radio Adelaide (April 10, 2019) (8 minutes) Listen hereTopic: Ancestry testing technology and how we think about who we are — Spoke with **Radio Adelaide** (April 10, 2019) (8 minutes) Listen here
Topic: *Ancestry testing technology and how we think about who we are*

Spoke with 2SER Radio, Sydney (December 22, 2018). (7 minutes). Listen hereTopic: DNA phenotyping and policy implications — Spoke with **2SER Radio, Sydney** (December 22, 2018). (7 minutes). Listen here
Topic: *DNA phenotyping and policy implications*

Spoke with Radio Adelaide (December 21, 2018). (8 minutes). Listen hereTopic: Protecting the privacy of our genetic data. — Spoke with **Radio Adelaide** (December 21, 2018). (8 minutes). Listen here
Topic: *Protecting the privacy of our genetic data.*

I spoke with BBC World Service - World Business Report about the business of at-home, do-it-yourself DNA testing for ancestry and for health — and some of the tricky issues that it can raise. April 26, 2019. Link here. — I spoke with **BBC World Service - World Business Report** about the business of at-home, do-it-yourself DNA testing for ancestry and for health — and some of the tricky issues that it can raise. April 26, 2019. Link here.

Interview on The Nature of Things with Dr Matt Wright. Radio 2SER 107.3 (Sydney, Australia). December 14, 2017. (7 minutes). Listen hereTopic: Who should have access to our digital genetic information? — Interview on The Nature of Things with Dr Matt Wright. **Radio 2SER 107.3** (Sydney, Australia). December 14, 2017. (7 minutes). Listen here
Topic: *Who should have access to our digital genetic information?*

Interview on The Daily with Sean Britten. Radio 2SER 107.3 (Sydney, Australia). January 26, 2018.Topic: What is a DNA marketplace with cryptocurrency? — Interview on The Daily with Sean Britten. **Radio 2SER 107.3** (Sydney, Australia). January 26, 2018.
Topic: *What is a DNA marketplace with cryptocurrency?*

Interview on Mornings with Leon Compton. ABC Radio Hobart (Tasmania, Australia). October 5, 2017.Topic: How does DNA forensics work? — Interview on Mornings with Leon Compton. **ABC Radio Hobart** (Tasmania, Australia). October 5, 2017.
Topic: *How does DNA forensics work?*

Interview on ABC Radio National's Life Matters with Amanda Smith. February 6, 2018 (Australia-wide broadcast). Listen hereTopic: The benefits and potential downsides of direct-to-consumer DNA tests. — Interview on **ABC Radio National's Life Matter**s with Amanda Smith. February 6, 2018 (Australia-wide broadcast). Listen here
Topic: *The benefits and potential downsides of direct-to-consumer DNA tests.*

Interview on Evenings with Kelly Higgins-Devine. ABC Radio Brisbane. (Queensland, Australia). January 23, 2018.Topic: How does direct-to-consumer DNA testing work and what are the risks? — Interview on Evenings with Kelly Higgins-Devine. **ABC Radio Brisbane.** (Queensland, Australia). January 23, 2018.
Topic: *How does direct-to-consumer DNA testing work and what are the risks?*

Interview on Statewide Drive with Fiona Wyllie. ABC Radio New South Wales. (NSW, Australia). February 6, 2018.Topic: Direct-to-consumer DNA testing - what are the privacy issues? — Interview on Statewide Drive with Fiona Wyllie. **ABC Radio New South Wales**. (NSW, Australia). February 6, 2018.
Topic: *Direct-to-consumer DNA testing - what are the privacy issues?*

Today Show, Channel 9. June 9 2018.

ABC News August 13 2018,

Commercial DNA.
You leave your DNA everywhere you go. But the laws governing what happens to it is a long way behind the technology. Dr Caitlin Curtis is a genetic scientist from UQ, and was part of our 2018 Top 5 Scientists Media Residency Program.
Posted by ABC Science on Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Commentary for the media:

I've provided commentary on issues relating to genetics and genomics for national and international news outlets.

(Click images for links)

Commentary for Reuters (LONDON). August 3 2018 - Link here.

Commentary for ABC News.- June 7 2018 - Link here

Commentary for C/NET - March 22 2019 - Link here

Commentary for ABC 7..30 / ABC News Online - June 15, 2020 - Link here — Commentary for ABC 7..30 / ABC News Online - June 15, 2020 - Link **here**

Commentary for ABC News - October 13 2018 - Link here

Communicating directly with policy-makers:

I recently spoke at a Parliamentary Briefing about some of the privacy, legal and social issues raised by genomics at Queensland Parliament House - and the need for a Genetic Data Protection Act, to protect trust in medical genetics (as outlined in our work here and here).

Parliamentary Briefing: Understanding genomics in health care; Premiers' Hall, Queensland Parliament House. August 21 2018. Link here.

Policy reports:

I’m pleased to be part of the UQ Centre for Policy Futures report on regulating the new economy. A link to the PDF of that report is here (or you can get there by clicking on the image below).

Speaking with the legal community:

Recently (September 1, 2020) I was invited to give a presentation to the Bar Association of Queensland - in collaboration with the Honourable Justice Martin Burns, Supreme Court of Queensland - about the new frontier of familial DNA searching in forensics (searching genealogy databases, and DNA phenotyping).

We reflected on the ethical, legal and social issues that can be expected to arise.

If you are a member of the Bar Association of Queensland, you can view that presentation by clicking here:

Dr Curtis presenting in a seminar to the Bar Association of Queensland called “Another Twist in the Helix, Familial DNA Evidence’, with the Honouable Justice Martin Burns, Supreme Court of Queensland. September 1, 2020.

Speaking with the community:

I recently gave a public lecture about how DNA ancestry testing is creating a digital DNA data economy (click image to watch):

Dr Caitlin Curtis. BrisScience Public Lecture. March 5, 2018. SouthBank, Brisbane, Australia.

Link here

Last year saw an incredible surge in demand for direct to consumer genetic tests - but it raises a lot of questions... - What exactly is a genetic test? - How is your privacy protected when you take a genetic test? - Do some companies make money selling your genetic data to third parties?

Building in trust by design.

I’m also pleased to be part of a team led by Yanjun Zhang and Prof Xue Li from UQ EAIT - and working with UQ Uniquest, working on the creation of a distributed data and analysis platform for genomic data: here (or you can get there by clicking on the image below).

Figure from Zhang et al, 2019 - found here. — Figure from Zhang et al, 2019 - found **here.**

Understanding public trust in artificial intelligence

I’m happy to be part of a collaboration between The University of Queensland and KPMG, that conducted the first Australian deep-dive into examining our trust in artificial intelligence, with an Australian survey. It is fantastic to work with such a talented group.

Read the report ‘Trust in Artificial Intelligence, Australian Insights 2020’ here.

Lockey, S., Gillespie, N., and Curtis C. (2020) Trust in Artificial Intelligence, Australian Insights 2020. The University of Queensland and KPMG. DOI: 10.14264/b32f129

How does an organisation go about achieving trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI)?

Read our second report ‘Achieving Trustworthy AI: A Model for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence’ here.

Gillespie, Nicole, Curtis, Caitlin, Bianchi, Rossana, Akbari, Ali, and Fentener van Vlissingen, Rita (2020). Achieving Trustworthy AI: A Model for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence. Australia: KPMG and The University of Queensland. https://doi.… — Gillespie, Nicole, Curtis, Caitlin, Bianchi, Rossana, Akbari, Ali, and Fentener van Vlissingen, Rita (2020). Achieving Trustworthy AI: A Model for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence. Australia: KPMG and The University of Queensland. https://doi.org/10.14264/ca0819d

How can organisations navigate the ethical challenges associated with AI?

I was really excited to mediate The University of Queensland, School of Business Thought Leadership Webinar on Navigating the trust challenges of artificial intelligence in March 2021, in partnership with KPMG.

The fantastic panellists included Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner Ed Santow, Prof Genevieve Bell from the Australian National University, James Mabbott from KPMG, and Prof Nicole Gillespie from UQ.

Click here to watch this really interesting conversation, along with highlights from our survey report.

In partnership with KPMG, The University of Queensland (UQ) Business School presents our Thought Leadership Webinar: Navigating the trust challenges of artificial intelligence (AI). Link here

I was happy to be a speaker at the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) Public Interest Technology Forum - on November 30, 2020.

The inaugural CEDA Public Interest Technology forum brought together leaders from government to drive a national discussion on the reforms needed for Australia to become a leading digital and tech nation. LINK HERE

Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) - Public Interest Technology Forum. November 30, 2020. Link here:

I was pleased to be on a panel discussing Trust in Artificial Intelligence and our national survey, with the Queensland AI Hub. November 27, 2020. LINK HERE

Webinar panel with the Queensland AI Hub. November 27, 2020.

Public awareness: talking about both sides of the issue:

In September 2018, I participated in Data Privacy: the Public Debate, hosted by the UQ Debating Society and UQ Engineering and Technology.

Data Privacy: The Public Debate. presented by UQ Debating Society and UQ Engineering and Technology. September 19 2018.

Advanced Engineering Building; University of Queensland. Link here

Contributing to national consultations:

In October 2018 we made a submission to the Australian Human Rights and Technology Project Consultation - by the Australian Human Rights Commission. Link to that project here.

Contributing to government data sharing discussions:

I’m happy to be involved in discussions of this important issue - and in October 2018, and April 2019 I will also be attending the round table to discuss the new Australian Government Data Sharing and Release Legislation - in relation to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet issues paper — information here.

Speaking to factual content producers:

I was honoured to have been invited to speak about trends in science at the Ideas Salon in the 2018 World Congress of Science & Factual Producers, in Brisbane.

Ideas Salon of the 2018 World Congress of Science & Factual Producers, Brisbane, Australia November 2018.Link here — Ideas Salon of the 2018 World Congress of Science & Factual Producers, Brisbane, Australia November 2018.
Link here

Collaborating to communicate about complex ethical issues of DNA data in new ways - using animation.

I was happy to participate in the 72 hour Science Film Sprint, with the very talented animator Tessie Liddell, from the Griffith Film School.

(Link here)

Engaging rural and regional Queenslanders in science:

Very honoured to have been selected to be one of the 2019 Queensland Flying Scientists - a collaboration with the Queensland Office of the Chief Scientist and Wonder of Science, to engage rural Queenslanders in science.

Read more about this excellent program here.

Recognition:

I’m happy to have been awarded a 2019 Australian Institute for Policy and Science Tall Poppy Science Award - recognizing excellence in both science and communication. (Link here)

I’m also really honored to have been awarded a 2018 ABC Radio National Top 5 Scientist Media Residency Award. Such a great experience, and I learned so much from the incredible experts at the ABC! (Link here)

Another theme of my research is thinking about how society impacts science.

This is an interesting and important question. Our recent scientific paper describes an episode in history where politics, strong personalities, and confirmation bias impacted the trajectory of science and the study of evolution. Our paper has generated a fair bit of discussion in the articles below.

(Click images for links to full articles)

Here are some of my recent public speaking events:

‘Knock back a pint of science!’ The University of Queensland’s UQ News article about our participation in Pint of Science is here:

Australasian Science Education Research Association conference 2018. Link hereGold Coast, June 26-29 2018. — Australasian Science Education Research Association conference 2018. Link here
Gold Coast, June 26-29 2018.

Pint of Science Festival. Invited speaker. Link here. Catchment Brewery, Brisbane.May 16 2018. 7:00 - 9:30pm. — Pint of Science Festival. Invited speaker. Link here. Catchment Brewery, Brisbane.
May 16 2018. 7:00 - 9:30pm.

University of Queensland, School of Education. Invited guest seminar:Public awareness of genomics and opportunities for education. Link hereOctober 12 2018. 11:15 - 12:30pm — University of Queensland, School of Education. Invited guest seminar:
Public awareness of genomics and opportunities for education. Link here
October 12 2018. 11:15 - 12:30pm

University of Queensland. Guest lecturer: Responsible data science course (DATA7002). Link hereSchools of Law, Information Technology & Electrical Engineering, Historical & Philosophical Inquiry, & Mathematics & Physics School. .Sept… — University of Queensland. Guest lecturer: Responsible data science course (DATA7002). Link here
Schools of Law, Information Technology & Electrical Engineering, Historical & Philosophical Inquiry, & Mathematics & Physics School. .
September 13 2018.

Dr Caitlin Curtis is an inspirational UQ scientist, showcased as part of International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019.

publications

My peer reviewed publication list

You can find more details at the following links:

Google Scholar

Researcher ID

ORCID

UQ Espace

Protecting trust in medical genetics in the new era of forensics

C Curtis, J Hereward, M Mangelsdorf, K Hussey, J Devereux

Genetics in Medicine 2018

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41436-018-0396-7

Privacy-preserving gradient descent for distributed genome-wide analysis

Zhang, Y., Bai, G., Li, X., Curtis, C., Chen, C. and Ko, R. K. L. (2021). Privacy-preserving gradient descent for distributed genome-wide analysis. ESORICS 2021 - 26th European Symposium on Research in Computer Security, Darmstadt, Germany, 4–8 October, 2021. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

https://doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-88428-4_20

What does Australia’s investment in genomics mean for public health?

A Belcher, M Mangelsdorf, F McDonald, C Curtis, N Waddell, K Hussey

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2019

https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.2887

Enabling Privacy-Preserving Sharing of Genomic Data for GWASs in Decentralized Networks

Y Zhang, XZhao, X Li, M Zhong, C Curtis, C Chen

Proceedings of the Twelfth ACM International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining, 2019

ACM Digital Library: https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3290983

https://doi.org/10.1145/3289600.3290983

PrivColl: Practical Privacy-Preserving Collaborative Machine Learning

Y Zhang, G Bai, X Li, C Curtis, C Chen, RKL Ko