Shion Guha, Ph.D

About me:

I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Information with a cross-appointment to the Department of Computer Science. I direct the Human-Centered Data Science Lab and am part of the broader Critical Computing research community.

I am also the Coordinator for Human-Centred Data Science in the Master of Information program. Given my variegated, intellectual interests I am also affiliated with the Data Sciences Institute and the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society.

Academic training and research interests:

I am fundamentally educated as a statistician with significant cross-training in science and technology studies, sociology and economics. I sit at the intersection of computing and the social sciences and thus, much of my work aims to integrate technical, computational approaches (AI, ML, GLMs) with critical, interpretive inquiry (ethnography, interviews, content analysis) to holistically address some of the most pressing issues in the public interest. This was first proposed in a duet of well regarded papers and has now evolved into an expansive and popular research direction in academia and industry called “Human-Centered Data Science“.

In the past decade or so, I have become deeply interested in how AI tools have been acquired and implemented in the public sector to influence outcomes in some of the most high-risk decision-making areas such as in child welfare, homelessness, public health, higher education, policing etc. My collaborators have ranged from governmental agencies in the USA and Canada (e.g. Wisconsin DCF, City of Toronto) to civil organizations (e.g. Children’s Aid Society, ACLU) as well as public and private, non-profit health systems (e.g. Parkview Health, Health Canada)

I have been extremely fortunate to have my work recognized through a few distinctions throughout the years such as a Way-Klingler Early Career Award’19, Connaught New Researcher Award’22 and Schwartz-Reisman Institute for Technology and Society Faculty Fellowship’23 as well as several Best Paper/Honorable Mention/Impact Awards at SIGCHI conferences.

Industry and Policy Impacts

Beyond specific contributions to the human-computer interaction, responsible AI and other related communities, my research has had several practical and policy impacts. I am a member of the CIFAR-MILA AI for Policymakers Expert Group that has contributed to many AI policies and regulation within the Canadian federal government. I have collaborated with the American Civil Liberties Union on their nationwide campaign against AI decision-making tools in child welfare systems. I serve on the Computing Research Association – Industry (CRA-I) advisory committee for their healthcare data sharing workshop series and subsequent policy efforts. As a Visiting Senior Research Scientist at Parkview Health, I have striven to make sure that my perspectives on Human-Centered Data Science are inculcated in health systems for better data-driven decision making which was particularly salient in estimating health system needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, as part of the CIFAR AI for Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Solutions Network, my work has contributed to a better understanding of addressing Type 2 diabetes by Health Canada as a public health issue through development of evidence based policy making.

Note to Potential Students:

I direct the Human-Centred Data Science Lab at University of Toronto. I can take PhD students through the Faculty of Information or Department of Computer Science. While I always encourage interested students to email me with a copy of your CV, I do receive very high volumes of emails from prospective students or collaborators so please note that my lack of response doesn’t necessarily denote a lack of interest. I would encourage you to apply to the PhD programs first and mention me as a potential advisor with a strong rationale. If you are a masters or undergraduate student at UofT in any department, it might be a good idea to reach out to one of the other lab members to discuss fit or take one of my classes that I teach and then expressing an interest. I can and have advised masters theses in both Information and Computer Science as well as Undergraduate Projects/Theses in Engineering. For potential postdoctoral fellows, if you are interested in a mentoring situation for your SSHRC, NSERC, or CIHR Fellowships, let’s chat more!

Speaking, Consulting and Media Engagements:

I am frequently invited to speak to the local, national, and international media on issues related to my research topics, involving, but not limited to: human-centred data science, AI in the public sector; AI policy and regulation as well as benefits, harms, and role of AI in child welfare systems; health systems, homelessness, higher education, policing, and others. In addition, I am also quite used to receiving speaking and consulting (including expert witness) inquiries in the above topics.

The best way to reach me is via email { shion [dot] guha [at] utoronto [dot] ca }; I am usually quite responsive to such inquiries, especially those that are time-sensitive.

For more information, please see my google scholar profile for an updated list of publications as well as my cv (updated December 2024), for more detailed information. I also tweet from my professional account sparsely, usually to humblebrag about my students’ accomplishments. I do not have any other social media.

Past Life:

I have had the most interesting set of fortuitous circumstances before I moved to my current position in 2021. I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Marquette University from 2016-2021 and then before that, I finished a PhD in Information Science and Statistics from Cornell University in 2016 where I worked with the venerable Steve Wicker on the vagaries of location based social networks. Before that, I finished an extremely strenuous program at the Indian Statistical Institute where I worked with the most amazing BS Daya Sagar on mathematical morphology and spatial networks. Even earlier, I was least interested in academia and wanted to be a rock god with my trusty keytar centre stage! I built my musical chops within the Athens Sound and achieved greater fame during the resurgence of Bangla Rock.