Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award for Cennydd Bowles

Cennydd Bowles, a student from the University of Oxford (MSt Practical Ethics, Continuing Education and Philosophy) has received a Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award to enable him to lecture and research at Elon University, North Carolina on one of the most well-regarded and impactful scholarship programmes in the world.

As a participant, Cennydd Bowles has been selected from a strong applicant pool to research anticipatory ethics, investigating how technology teams can pre-empt and mitigate social and ethical impacts of innovation. Drawing on ideas from futures thinking, safety engineering, and practical moral philosophy, the research will form the backbone of his next book, What Could Go Wrong? He will also teach a postgraduate course on ethics in interactive media. Outside of study and teaching, Bowles plans to immerse himself in college sport fandom and share his passion for chess with the local community.

Commenting on receiving the Award, Bowles said: “I’m delighted to have been selected for this award. The tech sector is facing major ethical challenges, with recent advances in AI raising the stakes further. I firmly believe technology can improve our world, but innovation should never come at the expense of safety. With my research I hope to uncover and develop practical tools that anticipate how emerging technologies might harm vulnerable people, communities, and institutions, and to help tech teams stop these harms before they happen.”

Maria Balinska, Executive Director, US-UK Fulbright Commission said: “Our vision is a world where there are no obstacles to learning, understanding and collaboration. Today there are many global challenges to overcome, and the world needs compassionate leaders to tackle them. This cohort of awardees will be placing cultural engagement at the heart of their experiences as they undertake ambitious study and research programmes in the US: I am filled with hope for the wonderful collaborations that will ensue.”