Daricia Wilkinson

Daricia Wilkinson says many of the world’s most impactful advances and challenging hurdles lie at the intersection of technology and society. Working at the forefront of this fast-paced space, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence, is where she wants to be.

“It allows me to shape future innovations that would actually serve people’s needs, promoting safer experiences with technology and teaching the foundation for future innovators and developers,” Wilkinson says.

She will explore these areas of research as she begins her position as an assistant professor of human systems engineering at The Polytechnic School, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.

Wilkinson says she’s eager to join ASU for its culture of innovation, inclusive excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration.

“I’m looking forward to building a research lab with a commitment to the relentless pursuit of knowledge that expands the way we think about equitable participation in AI,” she says. 

The first course Wilkinson is teaching at ASU is HSE 390 Qualitative Research Methods, an interactive learning experience to expand students’ skills in data collection, analysis and sensemaking. She says students should be prepared to “work on projects that require creativity and thoughtful reflection on complex social phenomena.”

Wilkinson hopes to teach a course taking a deeper look at the core aspects of responsible AI, its impact on society and how developers can ethically create AI tools.

Wilkinson most recently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Microsoft Research Lab in New York City, where she investigated cross-cultural values for responsible AI. Before that, she worked on data transparency and tools for promoting online safety for vulnerable populations as a graduate researcher in the Humans and Technology Lab at Clemson University.

As a doctoral student, Wilkinson focused on the social and technical aspects of online safety in the Caribbean. Wilkinson earned the Meta Research PhD Fellowship and was named a Google Women Techmakers scholar. She also collaborated with IBM Research, NortonLifeLock Research Labs and the Max Planck Institute for Informatics in her work. 

Wilkinson’s research so far has been published in top-ranking human-computer interaction and information science journals, and she has earned the recognition of being one of the top 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics in 2023.

When she’s not pushing the boundaries of responsible and equitable AI, Wilkinson enjoys hiking and astronomy — hobbies with rich opportunities at ASU and in Arizona.

Meet the newest faculty members of the Fulton Schools of Engineering here.

Written by Monique Clement