Dr John Zerilli awarded Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship

Currently a Research Fellow within the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, John will take up his Fellowship at the Faculty of Law, collaborating with computer scientists, psychologists and philosophers within the broader university and beyond. His project aims to provide an in-depth examination of the legal, philosophical and cognitive dimensions of the delegation of statutory discretion to algorithms. Its objectives will be to (1) examine the impact of algorithms in the public sector, (2) analyse the legality of their adoption by government, and (3) elaborate a framework for how to manage the very real dangers of automation complacency and bias in the delivery of public services in the UK.

The highly competitive scheme, which enables researchers to undertake a significant piece of publishable research, recognises those who have already demonstrated research excellence in their fields but who have not yet held a permanent academic post. 

'We are delighted that the Leverhulme Trust has offered six Early Career Fellowships to candidates supported by departments across the Social Sciences Division', said Professor Mark Pollard, Associate Head of the Social Sciences Division (Research). 'This is not the first time that our departments have received such a considerable number of these distinguished awards. We are proud to host, support, and nurture these promising early career academics. We are also glad that prestigious funders, like Leverhulme, acknowledge that the research being conducted in Oxford is of outstanding quality.'