Simon Roberts (he/him) considers himself to have the best job in the world: researching the emerging frontiers of people and technology and trying to land that understanding with impact in complex environments. His career began with a PhD on the satellite TV revolution in mid 1990s India. He started the UK’s first dedicated ethnographic research company, Ideas Bazaar, before leading an R&D team at Intel’s Digital Health Group. In 2013, Simon co-founded Stripe Partners, a strategy and innovation consultancy. Simon first attended EPIC in 2005, and in the years since he’s been an author/presenter, curator, peer reviewer, and co-chair of EPIC2012 and EPIC2013. He writes and speaks widely on anthropology, ethnography, and technology, and his book The Power of Not Thinking was published in 2020. Read more by and about Simon. board@epicpeople.org

Nichole Carelock (she/her) is an anthropologist with 10+ years experience building technical solutions that not only work for people, but with people. Previously she worked on privacy at Facebook and in civic technology ensuring the Presidential Transition Teams were equipped with the right Tech Policy, People and Practices to succeed. Her expertise spans from service design for systems with millions of users, to intimate cottage industry ethnographies. She belongs to and serves many communities including AfroTech, User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA), and the American Anthropological Association (AAA). In addition, Nichole is passionate about digital services for vulnerable populations and prides herself on being a “slow thinker” in her world of “failing fast” “rapid iteration” and “disruption.” Through slow thinking Nichole works to ensure that innovation, strategies, processes and products are anchored in what matters to people in their everyday lives today and over time.

Samantha Gottlieb (she/her) is an anthropologist informed by science and technology studies. She is currently a UXR Manager at Google with the Fitbit team. Sam has 20+ years of expertise in health technology and understanding the complexity of U.S. health care delivery. She brings together her education in philosophy, gender studies, public health, and anthropology to bring a multi-disciplinary lens to her work. Curious about new health technologies in the hands of their users, she seeks to amplify innovative successes by bringing them into conversation with our past and our present, acknowledging the genealogies of artifacts and technologies. Sam has worked as a consultant in biotech, digital media, public health departments, and health care startups. She is motivated by research that explores the interplay between diverse institutional actors and individuals who reclaim agency despite structural limitations. She attended her first EPIC in 2009 and values the community of critical social thinkers and observers.

Alexandra Zafiroglu (she/her) is a Professor and Deputy Director of the School of Cybernetics at the Australian National University a Fellow of the ANU Futures scheme. A cultural anthropologist by training, joined the ANU in 2019, after a 15-year career at Intel Corporation. She held various roles across the company within the People and Practices, Digital Home, Client Computing, and Internet of Things divisions. She made significant contributions to the R&D and commercial development in a range of labs and divisions relating to smart systems including built environments (homes, commercial buildings, and manufacturing) and transportation (autonomous vehicles and intelligent transportation systems). At the ANU she convenes the School of Cybernetics Higher Degree by Research program.

Shriram Venkatraman is an Assistant Professor of Business and Management at the University of Southern Denmark and a Fellow of the Danish Institute of Advanced Studies. He is also an Adjunct Faculty at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, India, and an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, New Delhi, India. In addition to articles in peer-reviewed journal articles, he is the author of the book Social Media in South India (UCL Press) and co-author of the comparative book How the World Changed Social Media (UCL Press).

Jennifer (she/her) is EPIC’s Executive Director, Jill of All Trades, Dot Connector, and Air Traffic Controller. She has worked in applied social science for more than 20 years, and holds degrees in anthropology, geography and environmental studies. jcj@epicpeople.org

Crystal (she/her) is EPIC’s Director of Systems and Operations. Her experience in the nonprofit sector and prior consulting work have enabled her to support mission-driven organizations through strategic planning and implementation of enterprise systems. Through thoughtful design and continuous evolution of systems and processes, Crystal’s goal is to cultivate a virtual space where the entire EPIC community will continue to thrive. Outside of work, Crystal can be found making her way through an ever-expanding reading list or strolling along Chicago’s lakefront. cmorrow@epicpeople.org

Laura (she/her) is EPIC’s Communications and Community Manager. She creates cross-channel communications, supports EPIC programs and events, and builds meaningful engagement for EPIC’s incredible global community. Laura has supported communications, community engagement, and impact measurement efforts at several international nonprofits and think tanks and holds degrees in sociology/anthropology, environmental studies, and international policy and development. lschroeder@epicpeople.org