Dr Gabrielle Samuel
BScHons(I) Biochemistry, MA (Bioethics), PhD (Genetics), PhD (Medical Sociology)
Senior Research Fellow
Sociologist with interest in ethics
Dr Gabrielle (Gabby) Samuel is a Senior Research Fellow in the CELS-Oxford research group, and research fellow for the Ethics Advisory Committee of UK Biobank.
Her main research interests relate to the ethical, social and regulatory issues associated with data-driven technologies used in health research. Her research draws mainly on qualitative methods, and explores ethical and social issues spanning a range of innovative biotechnologies, including biobanking, genomics, forensic/health genetic technologies, and AI health technologies. She has a particular interest in the environmental impacts of big data and AI technologies, as they pertain to health research.
She was recently awarded a Wellcome Fellowship to explore the environmental sustainability of data-driven health research, and a co-Investigator on the ESPRC collaborative project PARIS-DE (Design Principles and Responsible Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Economy), led by Professor Gordon Blair at Lancaster.
Gabby completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham, her PhD in Genetics at the University of Adelaide, and a two-year genetics post-doctoral position at the University of Sydney (Australia), before retraining as a social scientist, firstly undertaking an MA in Bioethics and then a second PhD, in biomedical ethics, via exploring the ethical and social issues surrounding the use of fMRI for severely brain-injured individuals.
She has worked as a Research Fellow at Brighton and Sussex Medical School exploring ethical issues related to the UK 100,000 genomes project; and as a research associate at King’s College London on the VISAGE project exploring the ethical, social and regulatory issues related to forensic DNA phenotyping.
She spent some time at the Centre for Values, Ethics, and the Law in Medicine (University of Sydney) exploring ethical concerns related to the advertising of prescription medicines, umbilical cord blood banking, synthetic biology, and direct-to-consumer genetic testing.
Key publications
-
Boundaries Between Research Ethics and Ethical Research Use in Artificial Intelligence Health Research.
Samuel G. et al, (2021), Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE, 16, 325 - 337
-
Bringing ethics into governance: the case of the UK COVID-19 contact tracing app
Samuel G. and Lucivero F., (2021), INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH GOVERNANCE
-
Defining ethical standards for the application of digital tools to population health research.
Samuel G. and Derrick G., (2020), Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 98, 239 - 244
-
Ecologies of Public Trust: The NHS COVID-19 Contact Tracing App.
Samuel G. et al, (2021), Journal of bioethical inquiry, 18, 595 - 608
-
For what it's worth. Unearthing the values embedded in digital phenotyping for mental health
Birk R. et al, (2021), BIG DATA & SOCIETY, 8
-
From "a Fair Game" to "a Form of Covert Research": Research Ethics Committee Members' Differing Notions of Consent and Potential Risk to Participants Within Social Media Research.
Hibbin RA. et al, (2018), Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE, 13, 149 - 159
-
Public trust and 'ethics review' as a commodity: the case of Genomics England Limited and the UK's 100,000 genomes project.
Samuel GN. and Farsides B., (2018), Medicine, health care, and philosophy, 21, 159 - 168
-
Forensic DNA phenotyping in Europe: views "on the ground" from those who have a professional stake in the technology
Samuel G. and Prainsack B., (2019), NEW GENETICS AND SOCIETY, 38, 119 - 141
-
Ethics review of big data research: What should stay and what should be reformed?
Ferretti A. et al, (2021), BMC medical ethics, 22
-
Genomics England's implementation of its public engagement strategy: Blurred boundaries between engagement for the United Kingdom's 100,000 Genomes project and the need for public support.
Samuel GN. and Farsides B., (2018), Public understanding of science (Bristol, England), 27, 352 - 364
-
Normative positions towards COVID-19 contact-tracing apps: findings from a large-scale qualitative study in nine European countries
Lucivero F. et al, (2021), Critical Public Health, 1 - 14
Recent publications
-
Joint Editorial: Informed Consent and AI Transcription of Qualitative Data.
Samuel G. and Wassenaar D., (2024), Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE
-
Advocating for a Context Specific Approach to Tackle Inequities
Samuel G. et al, (2024), The American Journal of Bioethics, 24, 109 - 111
-
Carbon Accounting in the Digital Industry: The Need to Move towards Decision Making in Uncertainty.
Samuel G. et al, (2024), Sustainability, 16
-
Access to Biobanks: Responsibilities Within a Research Ecosystem.
Samuel G. and Lucassen A., (2023), Biopreservation and biobanking, 21, 275 - 281
-
Drivers and constraints to environmental sustainability in UK-based biobanking: balancing resource efficiency and future value.
Samuel G. and Sims JM., (2023), BMC Med Ethics, 24