Dr. Aubra Anthony, a Teaching Assistant Professor, Online at the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies (CECS), describes herself as a “reformed physicist.” What began as a hobby exploring technology policy during her time at the University of Colorado soon became her focus. She pivoted toward Science and Technology Studies (STS), ultimately building a career that bridges the technical and social dimensions of data and emerging technologies.
That interdisciplinary lens led Anthony to a fellowship designed to bring scientists into the federal government to infuse new perspectives into public service. Her work took her across nonprofits, federal agencies, and ultimately to a think tank focused on international technology policy. Across these roles, she worked globally, learning how people rely on data in complex and often resource-constrained environments such as places where digital tools are not always the obvious solution.
Throughout her career, Anthony has focused on the intersection of technology, data, and society. “My work has always lived at the intersection of the technical and the social,” she said, emphasizing the importance of understanding data not as a neutral input, but as something shaped by human systems, incentives, and values. That perspective proved especially critical during her time working with USAID, where she supported colleagues navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and data-driven decision-making by developing training on how AI works, what it can and cannot do, and where caution is needed.
What began as a one-off, week-long course quickly became one of the most energizing parts of her work. Demand for the course grew as did the need to evolve the content.“It was incredibly rewarding to engage with people directly and see the material through their eyes, rather than just writing a report by myself,” she said.
Anthony’s interests in engagement and interdisciplinary thinking make CECS a natural fit and inspired her to begin teaching for the college. She is especially interested in the idea of sociotechnical systems—the understanding that technology does not exist in isolation, but within social, political, and cultural contexts. “This work doesn’t belong to one neat category,” she said. “It needs broader framing about who should be engaging with these questions. It shouldn’t be relegated to a single domain.”
Anthony teaches online courses on data and artificial intelligence for CECS.