Owen Churches

Dr Owen Churches is passionate about communicating quantified information to decision makers and the need to have an ethical approach to the collection and use of data in society. Owen has a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Cambridge where he worked in the pharmaceutical industry and in academia. Owen is a Certified Health Informatician Australasia. Owen is an experienced statistician with a work history across academia, industry and government. Owen is skilled in choosing the right analytic tool for each question. His data skills run from finding the data and wrangling it to creating predictive models, interactive web apps and immersive visualizations.

Owen is currently a Data Science Lead/Senior statistician with the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute where he works across the technical and political aspects of using data to make decisions. A focus of his work is on the social impact of data collection, analysis and sharing and the ethical considerations that are required to responsibly work in this area. He also convenes an AI/Ethics bookclub once a month in an attempt to learn more about data ethics and network with others working in this space.

In 2020, Owen was selected to participate in the inaugural Policy Impact Program, a partnership between the Churchill Trust and the University of Queensland. The Policy Impact Program is designed to showcase Fellowship findings to inform leading public policy decision-makers, media and the community. Owen's article considers the rising role that data plays in the process of government decision making, which promises efficiencies for governments but entails risks to individuals and society. Owen suggests that a responsible policy is not to stop data-driven decisions. Rather, with an appropriate approach, the benefits of using data can be gained while safeguarding the rights and safety of individuals and promoting the social ideals we desire. Read Owen's article.