The National Academies seeks experts to serve on the Planning Committee for Engaging Scientists to Prevent Harmful Exploitation of Advanced Data Analytics and Biological Data in South and Southeast Asia.
The committee of international scientists will organize a series of workshops to explore practices for anticipating and countering exploitation of scientific developments enabled by the combined use of advanced data analytics, specifically artificial intelligence and facial recognition, with genomic and other biological data with scientists from the U.S., South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
During the past several years, the convergence of data science and the life sciences has enabled advanced research areas such as genetic association studies that link specific DNA sequences with observed traits or ethnicities, artificial intelligence and machine learning studies involving human genomic data, and facial recognition data based on genomic sequences. Although most of this research is conducted for peaceful, often beneficial, purposes, use of these research results and analytical capabilities may be used to cause harm.
The workshop aims to: explore current and cutting-edge developments and applications (both beneficial and harmful uses) of advanced data analytics and biological data through a series of scenario-based exercises; identify existing and needed practices for cyber, data, and information security; and identify practices that are effective and translatable in different institutional contexts.
Nominations are welcome for anyone with expertise in the following areas:
- Computational biology
- Genetics and genomics
- Multi-omics expertise
- Artificial intelligence, machine learning, image recognition
- Data analytics and science
- Biological and cyber security
- Biosecurity, ethics, policy
- Scenario planning
Because of the study focus, NASEM is particularly interested in nominations from India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, and early-career scientists including members of the Young Academies’ network. Self-nominations are welcome. Submit nominations by 25 March 2022.
Planning Committee for Engaging Scientists to Prevent Harmful Exploitation of Advanced Data Analytics and Biological Data in South and Southeast Asia. NASEM Board on Life Sciences, Committee on International Security and Arms Control.
