David Eliot is a PhD candidate in Criminology at the University of Ottawa Centre for Law, Technology and Society, under the supervision of Dr. David Murakami Wood.
David Eliot’s main research interests include radical right-wing populism, artificial intelligence, and data economies. His doctoral project explores how the data used to train artificial intelligence (AI) systems is created, collected, used and or traded as an economic good. Specifically, he is interested in how the structures of the data economy that is emerging to support the development of AI affects citizens' rights to privacy and security.
David Eliot’s research has been recognized with numerous academic awards, including the Arthur B. McDonald Prize for Academic Excellence and the Canadian Sociological Associations ‘Outstanding Graduate’ award for both his BA and Master's thesis’. His doctoral proposal and leadership record, both scholarly and within the community, have placed him among the 2022-2025 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholars, one of Canada’s most prestigious doctoral awards.
Outside of academia, David Eliot pursues his passions in both the arts and activism. As an activist, he has helped organize numerous town halls and demonstrations aimed at addressing the ongoing climate crisis. As an artist, he has produced and performed in award-winning magic shows across Canada. He is also an accomplished athlete who competed in fencing at provincial, national and international levels. He notably captained two gold medal-winning teams at the Ontario Summer Games and represented Canada at the 2015 Junior Men's Epee World Cup in Bern, Switzerland.