About the Chair
The Canada Research Chair in Data Ethics was established in 2019 with funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program. It is dedicated to the study of the ethical and social dimensions of data collection and data use in scientific research, healthcare, and policy. The Chair is held by Eran Tal, Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy at McGill University.
News and Events
Society for the study of measurement
New academic society dedicated to promoting research on measurement across disciplines
- The Society for the Study of Measurement (SSM) was co-founded by the Chairholder and held its inaugural meeting at UC Berkeley in 2024
- The SSM is an interdisciplinary home for scientists, philosophers, historians, and others who study foundational issues in measurement
- SSM 2026 will be held at the University of Edinburgh and include more than 60 presenters over three days
Data ethics and mental health
How to collect, interpret, and use mental health data responsibly?
- A Brain Canada-funded collaboration between the Chairholder and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is underway to establish a data governance framework for youth mental health
- Our study on values in psychosocial measurement in collaboration with mental health service Foundry is now published in Measurement
- New paper: “Responsible and Meaningful Measurement in Clinical Psychology” (with Femke Truijens) now available as a preprint
Data governance for AI
Ensuring that data are responsibly collected, managed, and used in AI applications
- In his role as member of Statistics Canada’s Data Ethics Committee, the Chairholder advises Canada’s Chief Statistician on the ethical collection, analysis and use of data in the age of AI
- Read our 2023 paper on target specification bias in machine learning and its hidden implications for fairness in medical contexts
- Our work-in-progress is exploring risks and opportunities in the use of predictive modeling and AI chatbots in mental healthcare.
Canada Research Chair in Data Ethics 