Julia Powles

Julia Powles is Associate Professor of Law and Technology and Director of the Minderoo Tech & Policy Lab at The University of Western Australia. Scientifically trained and experienced in national and international policymaking, Julia’s research focuses on civic and rights-based responses to emerging technologies.

She is an expert in privacy, intellectual property, internet governance, and the law and politics of data, automation, and artificial intelligence. Julia is known for her work on data protection law and, in particular, citizens’ rights to correction and explanation, as well as her detailed investigations of Google affiliates DeepMind and Sidewalk Labs and their incursions into health, cities, and governance. Prior to joining UWA, Julia held appointments at New York University, Cornell Tech, the University of Cambridge, The Guardian, and the World Intellectual Property Organization.

She also balanced her academic role with 12 months as inaugural CEO, Frontier Technology at Minderoo Foundation. Julia studied genetics, biophysics, and law in Australia and received her BCL from Oxford and PhD from Cambridge.

In addition to her academic publications, Julia’s writing can be found in the Financial Times, New Yorker, Guardian, One Zero, Wired, and Slate.