Leah Davis’s research into how artificial intelligence systems interact with their social environments sits squarely at the intersection of engineering and the social sciences, blending technical expertise with ethical inquiry. This interdisciplinary focus is at the heart of her work. And it helps explain why the McGill PhD student in Electrical and Computer Engineering has won a 2025 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship, an award typically reserved for scholars in the social sciences and humanities. Davis, who began her doctoral work in January 2025, said she sees her work as bridging both worlds.
“I like to joke that we’re engineers by trade but social scientists at heart,” Davis said. “We use technical tools, but our focus is on how systems function in real-world communities. Are they inclusive? Are they being trusted? Who’s left out of the process?”
Davis works in the Responsible Autonomy and Intelligent Systems Ethics Lab, where she has been involved since her undergraduate years. Supervised by AJung Moon, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, her research investigates how AI systems affect – and are affected by – social environments. Her approach, rooted in what she calls a sociotechnical perspective, emphasizes the importance of viewing technology and society as deeply interconnected.
Better data, more inclusive design
Traditionally, AI evaluation focused on technical performance. Was the system accurate, reliable and efficient?
“But we also need to evaluate how these systems perform socially,” said Davis. “Instead of just asking, is it fast and precise, we now have to ask is it fair?”
But concepts like fairness and trust are hard to turn into measurable, operational metrics.
“This is where qualitative methods from the social sciences come in,” said Davis. “We look at the developers’ positionality – why they made certain choices – and we often use ethnographic approaches to understand how these systems are experienced by different communities. Are we using the right data for the right people? Is anyone being misrepresented or left out? If so, how do we mitigate those risks?”
Be it through ethnographic studies or collaborations with NGOs and advocacy groups, Davis’s work increasingly involves engaging with communities that are affected by AI. The goal is to create frameworks that help developers reflect on their own biases and improve how systems are built and deployed.
“Long before AI, we had systems shaped by racism, sexism and other biases. AI just scales them,” said Davis. “We need better data, more inclusive design and tools that help practitioners make better choices.”
A leadership that lifts everyone
That focus on public experience, transparency and accountability has guided Davis’s journey into AI. Originally educated in biomedical engineering, Davis was first exposed to AI through technical applications like image processing. Her curiosity led her to electives in digital culture and society, and eventually to a Master’s in Social Data Science at the University of Oxford.
“I’ve always asked why things matter,” she said. “I didn’t want to just build systems; I wanted to understand their impact.”
Moon called Davis’s interdisciplinary approach both rare and necessary.
“Leah’s journey speaks of an individual who knows how to care for her local community while reaching out to experts beyond her immediate community to bring about change,” Moon said. “This is the kind of leadership that lifts everyone, not just the individual in the spotlight.”
That leadership now extends across institutions and disciplines. Davis collaborates with colleagues at Mila-Quebec AI Institute and UQAM with specialists in cybersecurity, anthropology and philosophy. Her work also involves engaging with policymakers to ensure that AI regulations reflect real-world needs.
“A big part of the job is being a bridge,” Davis said. “You’re translating between engineers, social scientists and the public. That’s hard, because we don’t all speak the same language, but it’s essential.”
Breaking silos
For Davis, the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation Scholarship provides more than financial support. It’s a platform for public engagement, interdisciplinary mentorship and leadership development. Scholars receive both academic and industry mentorship, helping bridge the gap between theory and practice.
“This scholarship helps you break out of silos,” she said. “A PhD isn’t just about writing a thesis; it’s about having the rare chance to think deeply about a problem and produce something that can inform real-world decisions. That’s a big responsibility. If people are going to listen and even use your work, it needs to be thoughtful, inclusive and representative.”
Despite coming from an engineering background, Davis felt welcomed into the traditionally social sciences- and humanities-focused community. That diversity, she said, is the point.
“You don’t need to fit in a box,” she said. “We need engineers in social science spaces and social scientists in tech spaces. Real solutions come from mixing those perspectives.”
This article was originally published in the McGill Reporter.