Dr. Hugh Williamson

 

Postdoc

Philosophy and History of Science and Technology

Dr Hugh F. Williamson is an anthropologist and postdoctoral researcher in the Philosophy and History of Science and Technology research group in the Department of Science, Technology and Society, Technical University of Munich. His research draws on science and technology studies (STS) and the history and philosophy of science (HPS) to explore how data and digital technologies are used in practice and to investigate the political, sociocultural and epistemic implications of these data practices, with the aim of contributing to new forms of governance and sociotechnical practice that are inclusive, equitable and sustainable. This work ranges from questions of data management through to frameworks for responsible innovation. His current research focuses empirically on agriculture and related areas of the biosciences, including plant biology and livestock science. He has also conducted long-term ethnographic research on rural transformation in Romania and Eastern Europe more broadly.

Hugh holds a BA in biological and social anthropology from Durham University and an MRes and PhD in social anthropology from the University of Cambridge. He previously worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, first on the Alan Turing Institute-funded project ‘From Field Data to Global Indicators’ and then within the Responsible Innovation strand of the EPSRC Next-Stage Digital Economy Centre, DIGITLab.

  • Data studies
  • Anthropology of science
  • Responsible research & innovation
  • Agriculture and related biosciences
  • Politics, culture and science in Eastern Europe

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Edited Books and Special Issues

 

 

Articles and Chapters

  •  Williamson, H.F. & S. Hartley. 2024. Responsible development of digital livestock technology for agricultural challenges: Purpose, practicality and effects are key considerations. Sociologia Ruralis. 64(4): 662-684 https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12492
  •  Leonelli, S. & H.F. Williamson. 2023. Artificial Intelligence in Plant and Agricultural Research. In AI for Science, eds. A. Choudhary, G. Fox & T. Hey. World Scientific Publishing https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811265679_0018
  •  Leonelli, S. & H.F. Williamson. 2023. Introduction: Towards Responsible Plant Data Linkage. In Williamson & Leonelli, eds. Towards Responsible Plant Data Linkage: Global Data Challenges for Agricultural Research and Development. Cham: Springer https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13276-6_1
  • Williamson, H.F. & S. Leonelli. 2023. Cultivating Responsible Plant Breeding Strategies: Conceptual and Normative Commitments in Data-Intensive Agriculture. In Williamson & Leonelli, eds. Towards Responsible Plant Data Linkage: Global Data Challenges for Agricultural Research and Development. Cham: Springer https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13276-6_16
  •  Williamson, H.F. & S. Leonelli. 2022. Accelerating Agriculture: Data-Intensive Plant Breeding and the Use of Genetic Gain as an Indicator for Agricultural Research and Development. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science. 95: 167-176 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2022.08.006
  •  H.F. Williamson, J. Brettschneider, M. Caccamo, R.P. Davey, C. Goble, P.J. Kersey, S. May, R.J. Morris, R. Ostler, T. Pridmore, C. Rawlings, D. Studholme. S.A. Tsaftaris & S. Leonelli. 2021. Data Challenges for Artificial Intelligence in Plant and Agricultural Research [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]. F1000 Research. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.52204.1
  • Fedirko, T., F. Samanani & H.F. Williamson. 2021. Introduction: Grammars of Liberalism. Social Anthropology/Anthropologie Sociale. 29(2): 373-386 https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-8676.13061

 

Theses

 

Other Outputs

Various screenings and panel discussions of documentary film Digital Animals, including at British Science Festival (September 2024).

Selected talks

  •  2024. ‘Responsible Innovation and Digital Transformation: Shaping Digitalisation with and for Society.’ DIGIT Lab webinar, 9 July. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs2nKwWdKg8
  • 2023. ‘Lambs to the Scanner: Phenotyping Livestock in Post-Brexit British Agriculture.’ Invited seminar, Centre for the Study of the Life Sciences (Egenis) seminar series, University of Exeter. 16 October.
  • 2022. Invited panelist, Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice Pre-Conference Workshop, ‘Methods Matter: Empirical Research in Philosophy of Science in Practice’, session ‘How to interact? Methods and ethics.’ 1 July.
  • 2021. ‘Consolidating Plant Breeding Databases: Molecular Breeding and the Integration of International Agricultural Research.’ Invited presentation, Trajectories of Big Data Platforms workshop. University of Edinburgh, 14 September.

  • 2014-2018 Pigott Award, University of Cambridge
  • 2013-2014 Newton Trust Award, University of Cambridge
  • 2012-2013 Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship, Durham University