Giulia De Togni

Giulia is an anthropologist of science, technology, and medicine, conducting research, teaching, and engagement on responsible, ethical, and sustainable innovation in AI and robotics for healthcare and social care. She specialises in East Asian studies and draws on cross-cultural comparative ethnographic fieldwork and international interdisciplinary collaborations. Her research has examined technologies including diagnostic algorithms, robot-assisted surgery, mental health bots, social robots, and physically assistive robotic devices. Across her projects, she has engaged with clinicians, care workers, care recipients, and technology developers.

An experienced ethnographer and interdisciplinary social scientist, Giulia holds degrees in Social Anthropology (PhD, MSc), Japanese Studies (MSt, MPhil), and Legal Studies (BA). She is currently a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow, a Chancellor’s Fellow (Assistant Professor) at the University of Edinburgh, and a Turing Fellow at The Alan Turing Institute. Giulia is also a Fellow of the Generative AI Lab (GAIL), a Senior Research Affiliate at the Centre for Technomoral Futures/Edinburgh Futures Institute, and a Visiting Researcher at the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics/Bayes Centre. In the UK, she collaborates closely with technology developers at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics and School of Engineering, the National Robotarium and Heriot-Watt University, and Bristol Robotics Laboratory. Internationally, she has established collaborations with robotics labs and research institutions in Japan, South Korea, Italy, France, Germany, Norway, and Brazil.