Trevor Deley is a PhD in E-Business candidate at the University of Ottawa Centre for Law, Technology and Society, under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Dubois.
Trevor Deley’s research examines how lived experiences can inform the design and creation of machine learning (ML) models. While using ML methods to study online political discourse, he assesses the philosophical strengths and weaknesses of ‘experience-oriented ontologies’ that have become popular in software engineering, human-centred design, and various sub-disciplines in the social sciences.
Prior to pursuing his doctorate, Trevor Deley completed his BSc. in neuroscience, minoring in philosophy, and an MSc. in biology specializing in data science at Carleton University. He studied epigenetic mechanisms of feeding circuitry in mice and the epigenetics of antibiotic resistance in E. coli using next-gen. Gene sequencing technology. He was the lead data scientist at a civic tech start-up called Milieu which used IBM technology to map citizen sentiment towards urban development projects before taking a job as a software developer at IBM’sCenter for Advanced Studies.
Trevor Deley’s research is funded by IBM CAS and is a part of theDigital Ecosystem’s Research Challenge. He is part of a research group split between uOttawa and UBC, studying the online harassment of journalists and politicians. He builds custom ML models informed by interviews with politicians and journalists who attempt to find more nuanced classification methods for online incivility and harassment.