Prof. Dr. Jo Pierson

Jo Pierson is affiliated with imec-SMIT, VUB since 1996 and holds a PhD in Social Science since 2003. He was in charge of the SMIT research unit ‘Data, Privacy & Empowerment’ as senior researcher, in close cooperation with imec, the R&D and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technology (previously iMinds). Within imec he was Principal Investigator in the Centre of Excellence ‘Humanized Technologies’ of the unit ‘Digital and User-Centric Solutions’. He was also Visiting Scholar at University of Amsterdam (Department of Media Studies) and Visiting Senior Fellow at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE - Department of Media and Communications). He has also worked as researcher-advisor for the Dutch knowledge institute TNO in Delft (The Netherlands).

Jo Pierson, PhD, is Full Professor of Responsible Digitalisation at Hasselt University (Hasselt, Belgium) and Professor of Media and Communication Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences & Solvay Business School at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium). He is head of the School of Social Sciences and staff member of the research group R4D (Research for Digitalisation, Diversity & Democracy) at UHasselt. He is also affiliate of the research centre imec-SMIT at VUB. His main research expertise is in media and communication studies, science and technology studies (STS), data privacy, public values in data-driven technologies, digital platforms, algorithms, artificial intelligence, and user innovation.

Jo has published extensively on issues of responsible digitalisation, i.e. how public interest values (like data privacy and empowerment) are identified, safeguarded and strengthened in data-driven technologies and AI systems from a socio-technical and citizen-centric ‘on the ground’ perspective. He participated in over 75 national and international fundamental and applied research projects, as promotor, co-promotor, and principal investigator. He has been an expert for several government initiatives on European, Belgian and Flemish level regarding policy, design and usage of digital technologies. He is member of the FWO Expert Panel fundamental research for Social Sciences (G&M4: Media and Communication Studies, Political Science, Social Work, Social and Cultural Anthropology and Sociology) and also member of the Scholarly Review Committee and Legal Committee of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR).