The Centre for Law, Technology and Society is happy to launch the call for applications for the 2021 Technoships, a unique research training program in technology law, ethics and policy for first-year students.
The First-Year Technoship Program was developed to provide University of Ottawa first-year students with financial assistance, to cultivate mentoring relationships, and to offer an early opportunity to work with Faculty members from the Centre for Law, Technology and Society on current research initiatives.
Eligibility
This program is exclusively reserved for first-year students.
Program Details
Selected students will receive a research bursary of $1,000. Training activities and research will be carried out during the January and Winter semesters as coordinated by your mentor/supervisor (for a total of approximately 60 hours of activities).
For Winter 2021, approximately 30 technoships are available with Professors Wolfgang Alschner,Jane Bailey, Kelly Bronson, Céline Castets-Renard, Elizabeth Dubois, Colleen Flood, Michael Geist, Karine Gentelet, Vivek Krishnamurthy, Florian Martin-Bariteau, Jason Millar, Amy Salyzyn and Teresa Scassa, as well as CIPPIC.
Research topics include (see below for more details):
- Artificial Intelligence
- Privacy
- Youth, technology & equality
- Blockchain
- Data analysis
- Intellectual property
- Telecom
- Cybersecurity
- Surveillance
How to apply
Students shall submit their application before November 22, 2020 (11:59 PM EST) through the electronic form.
Only applications submitted through this form will be considered.
Applicants must select all research topics of interest on the form. Research topics are provided for information purposes only. Supervisors may select more than one student for a given topic, and no students for others.
Applications should include a cover letter (max. 1 page) and a curriculum vitae. Applicants do not need to provide transcripts. Please submit one PDF document containing both your Cover Letter and CV with the document named using the format “Last name-first name.pdf”.
Results will be announced by mid-December.
More information
For more details, please see the full list of research topics below as well as the FAQ. You can also contact the Centre for Law, Technology and Society at techlaw@uottawa.ca.
In collaboration with the Law and Technology Student Society, the Centre for Law, Technology and Society will host an information session about the program on November 5, 2020, at 11:30 am.
Click here to register and receive connection details
Research Topics by Faculty
- Data mining of judicial decisions
- Data science of international laws
- Young People's Experiences Online
- AI and Equality [AI + Society Fellowship]
- Tech-facilitated violence
- AI, Agriculture and Environment [AI + Society Fellowship]
Céline Castets-Renard (French-English bilingualism is an asset.)
- Privacy and ethics
- AI and COVID-19 in Senegal and Mali
- Surveillance, policing and system racism
- Online harassment of political journalists
- Global Journalism Innovation (policy impacts of academic explanatory journalism)
- Machine Learning, content moderation, and political speech [AI + Society Fellowship]
- Wonks and War Rooms Podcast
- AI and Health [AI + Society Fellowship]
- Copyright
- E-commerce Law
- Broadcasting
- Telecommunications
- Internet Platform regulation
- Digital taxation
- Privacy
- Digital Policy in the Global South
- Trade agreements
- Artificial Intelligence [AI + Society Fellowship]
- Podcast assistance
Karine Gentelet & Florian Martin-Bariteau (Profil bilingue français/anglais apprécié. French-English bilingualism is an asset)
- Data, AI and Indigenous People [AI + Society Fellowship]
- Privacy and Competition
- Technology and Human Rights
Florian Martin-Bariteau (French-English bilingualism is an asset)
- Global AI Policy [AI + Society Fellowship]
- AI Regulation and Governance [AI + Society Fellowship]
- Cryptocurrencies
- Smart contracts (blockchain; AI; automated contracting)
- Privacy
- Whistleblowers
- Hackers and computer crimes
- Quantum Technology Law and Policy
Florian Martin-Bariteau, Suzie Dunn & Nasma Ahmed
- Can't Compute: Digital (In)Equalities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, and people with disabilities; and people at the intersection.
- Robotics (ethics and policy implications)
- Artificial Intelligence (ethics and policy implications)
- Legal Technologies and Access to Justice
- AI and Legal Ethics [AI + Society Fellowship]
Teresa Scassa (French-English bilingualism is an asset.)
- Working and Studying from Home
- AI & Surveillance Technologies
- AI & Regulation [AI + Society Fellowship]
CIPPIC | Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic
- COVID and Workplace Privacy
- Immunity Passports and Privacy
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you select Technoship fellows?
These Technoships are an initiation to research in the legal field. Exact activities and research tasks will depend on the project which the student will be selected for. This is designed for first-year students to give them a taste of research, and to be able to apply for research assistant positions later on, as policy and legal research is different than most other fields. (That’s why we don’t ask for transcripts). As part of the program, beyond being mentored by professors, Technoship Fellows will benefit from workshops around literature review, legal citation, data management, etc.
We’re looking for curious and brilliant people to train the next generation of technology law, ethics, and policy researchers. No specific knowledge of law nor technology is required to apply. Obviously, an interest in technology law, ethics, and policy will be appreciated. If you have experience related to the topic of some projects you’re applying to, you should also mention it (e.g. you’re an artist and would like to research copyright, or worked in finance and would like to research cryptocurrencies).
Can I apply if I am a second- or third-year student?
This program is restricted to first-year students. However, upper-year and graduate students who wish to work with one of our members are invited to reach out directly to them to discuss potential research assistantship opportunities.
Can I apply to one or more professors?
You can apply to as many Technoship positions as you wish. This will not be seen negatively by professors. As a matter of fact, professors don’t know if you have applied just with them, or with anybody else.
To whom the cover letter should be addressed?
If you are applying to only one professor, address the letter directly to that professor. However, if there is more than one professor, you can use greetings such as “Dear Professors” or “To whom it may concern”. This will not be seen negatively by professors.
Is there any interview?
There is no in-person interview. You may want to contact specific professors. However, it is not usual for them to meet with the students or interview them before the match happens. Indeed, facing the impossibility for them to meet with all 1L interested, it would be unfair for them to only meet certain students.