Dr Emma Clarke

Engaged Research Lead

Email Address: [email protected]

Dr Emma Clarke is the Engaged Research Lead at the Science Foundation Ireland ADAPT Research Centre, based at Dublin City University.

Emma has a wealth of public engagement experience, and focuses on citizen engagement with research, citizen science and facilitating multi-stakeholder participatory dialogue. She was instrumental in establishing ADAPT’s #DiscussAI programme of public events, which constitutes a national conversation about Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Through #DiscussAI initiatives, ADAPT engages individuals and communities across Ireland in conversations that raise and answer questions on AI, and explores its impact on our lives and society. Since its launch in 2021, #DiscussAI has engaged over 60,000 members of the public through its various initiatives.

Emma has successfully delivered diverse citizen engagement projects. Recent projects include:

  • ADAPT’s Citizens’ Think-Ins: Interactive public forums to discuss the impact of AI on the individual and society (https://thinkins.adaptcentre.ie/)
  • #ExploreAI: A family-friendly interactive exhibition exploring AI technology. #ExploreAI took place on Friday, 29 September for START: European Researchers’ Night 2023 (https://www.adaptcentre.ie/explore-ai/)
  • The Knowledge Technologies for Democracy (KT4D) project is investigating how democracy and civic participation can be better facilitated in the face of rapidly changing knowledge technologies – such as AI and Big Data (https://kt4democracy.eu/)

Emma has presented her work at international conferences, such as PCST, EARMA, ECIU and ECSA. Her educational background includes a PhD from the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College Dublin which focused on cross-disciplinary knowledge transfer; an M.Phil in Digital Humanities from Trinity College Dublin; and an MA in Applied Linguistics from University College Cork. Her primary degree was a BA in Language and Cultural Studies from University College Cork.

Research Domains
  • Citizen Engagement
  • Citizen Science
  • Engaged Research
  • Multi-Stakeholder Engagement

Publications