Diana Ascher

Diana L. Ascher is an American information scientist, researcher, and advisor specializing in information ethics, data management, and responsible artificial intelligence (AI). She is currently the head of research and senior advisor on data ethics and responsible AI at the EDM Council. She is the director of the IS Lab at UCLA and founder of the Information Ethics & Equity Institute.

Education and career

Ascher earned a Ph.D. in Information Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), an M.B.A. from the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University, and a B.A. in Public Policy from Duke University, where she received the Benjamin N. Duke Leadership Scholarship. Early in her career, Ascher worked in journalism, writing for publications such as the Durham Herald-Sun, the Charlotte News & Observer, and WTVD News.

Before joining the EDM Council, Ascher gained extensive experience in information science, data management, and research. She served as the director of the Information Studies Lab at UCLA and managed the UCLA Anderson Laboratory in Behavioral Decision Making.

Her earlier roles included work in financial communication, knowledge management, and data strategy at organizations like American Funds, Bloomberg, and the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Ascher's research interests span algorithmic decision-making in news organizations, hyper-vigilant information-seeking behavior in healthcare, and network analysis of hate speech on social media platforms. She has also conducted studies on the ethics and politics of long-term genomic data management, as well as cognitive reflection in information-seeking behavior.

Selected publications

• Ascher, Diana L.; Umoja Noble, Safiya (2019-04-25). Brison, Susan J.; Gelber, Katharine (eds.). "Unmasking Hate on Twitter: Disrupting Anonymity by Tracking Trolls". Free Speech in the Digital Age (1 ed.). Oxford University PressNew York: 170–188. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190883591.003.0011. ISBN 978-0-19-088359-1. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
• Ascher, Diana L. (2015). "How is she? Information and the surgical waiting lounge". Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology. 52 (1): 1–8. doi:10.1002/pra2.2015.145052010047. ISSN 2373-9231.
• Ascher, Diana L. (2015). "Cultural time orientation as a factor in information evaluation and decision making by development policy analysts 2015 Society of Policy Scientists Annual Institute The World Bank November 2015". Society of Policy Scientists Annual Institute. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.12609.56160.