Summer 2025 GenAI Challengers

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Pinar Barlas

Pinar is a Library and Information Science Ph.D. student in the Faculty for Information and Media Sciences at Western University, studying the construction of datasets for machine learning applications, in order to minimize the harmful societal effects of Artificial Intelligence systems. More specifically, Pinar is investigating the ethical implications of data cleaning practices. Previously, Pinar was a Research Associate for the Fairness and Ethics in AI-Human Interaction Multidisciplinary Research Group at the CYENS Centre of Excellence. Pinar has a BA in Cultural Studies & Communication, an MA in Interaction Design, and brief experience in the industry as a User Experience and Service Designer.
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Dan Bousfield

Dan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Western University in London, Ontario. His current research focuses on the role of AI in educational assessment and pedagogy, examining how generative AI, such as large language models (LLMs), challenges traditional approaches to writing, citation, and assessment in International Relations education. His broader academic work addresses international relations, political economy, and critical theory, with particular attention to race, neoliberalism, digital diplomacy, and the political implications of technology.
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Noah Kostesku 

Noah is an undergraduate student at Western University pursuing an Honours Specialization in Computer Science. He currently works as a Project Manager at Tech for Social Impact, where he co-leads a team developing technology solutions for non-profits to drive social change through accessible design. Noah also serves as a Research Assistant at Western, focusing on Explainable AI in the context of credit risk. His work aims to create interpretable machine learning models that promote transparency and fairness in financial decision-making. Passionate about the intersection of technology and ethics, he plans to pursue postgraduate studies to further explore ethical AI and its potential to shape more just and responsible systems.
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James Shelley

James is a member of the Research Office in the Faculty of Health Sciences. He is a process strategist and in-house software developer, focussed on leveraging advancements in automation, analytics, and AI to support strategic, institutional initiatives. James is currently leading several AI-enabled projects at Western University in the areas of research administration, knowledge mobilization, and science communication.
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Stephen Spong

Stephen is Western's Copyright Officer as well as a member of Western Libraries' Teaching and Learning team. Prior to this he was the Director of the John and Dotsa Bitove Law Library at Western Law. Over the course of his career, he has worked in a number of libraries in Canada and the United States. He holds a J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School and a M.I. from the University of Toronto's iSchool.
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Luke Stark

Luke is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western University in London, Canada. He is Co-Director of the Starling Centre for Just Technologies and Just Societies at Western and is a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar in the Future Flourishing Program. Luke is the Principal Investigator on Insight Development and Insight Grants funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and is the recipient of numerous competitive internal grants and awards from Western University. Luke received his PhD from the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University in 2016, and holds an Honours BA and MA in History from the University of Toronto. His current book project Reordering Emotion: Histories of Computing and Human Feeling from Cybernetics to Artificial Intelligence is under contract with the MIT Press.
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William J Turkel

William is Professor of History at the University of Western Ontario and internationally recognized for his innovative work in digital history. He uses machine learning, text mining, and computational techniques in his study of the histories of science, technology and environment, drawing on many decades of programming experience. He is author of Spark from the Deep (Johns Hopkins, 2013), The Archive of Place (UBC, 2007) and the open access textbook Digital Research Methods with Mathematica (2nd ed 2019). His current research focuses on the development of computational environments to support hybrid human-AI teamwork in the social sciences. Dr. Turkel is a member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada (2018-25) and a recipient of the Wolfram Innovator Award (2020).