Dr. Kean Birch

Professor

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Biography

I am an interdisciplinary social scientist interested in the changing political economy of science, technology, and innovation. My research draws from science & technology studies, economic sociology, political economy, and economic geography. My recent empirical work focuses on the digital economy, especially the transformation of digital personal data into political-economic assets and the role of large ‘tech’ firms in this process. I am particularly interested in the processes of assetization and rentiership, examining how things are turned into assets from which people extract economic rents. I also pursue research on artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies, as well as past research on biotechnology, biofuels, and low-carbon technologies. Current funded projects include governance and the political economy of artificial intelligence, the economy of democracy concerning research evaluation metadata in the digital era, measuring sustainable economic and social value of data in Africa, and an empirical investigation into personal data valuation. My major contribution to debates in science & technology studies is my book 'Assetization: Turning Things into Assets in Technoscientific Capitalism', co-edited with Fabian Muniesa and published open access by MIT Press. I am currently the Director of the Institute for Technoscience & Society and hold the Ontario Research Chair in Science Policy. I am also a Professor in the Science & Technology Studies Graduate Program at York University in Toronto. Additionally, I have served as a Visiting Scholar at various institutions and am currently the Co-Editor of the leading international science & technology studies journal 'Science Culture'.

Research Interests

Requirements for York University

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.3
IELTS
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Total
Required:100
Prerequisites
4-year Honours Bachelor degree in a related discipline
Application Checklist
  • Transcripts
  • Statement of Interest
  • Resume/CV
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • Sample of Written Work
Specialization Notes

Department of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies graduate programs generally follow the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) B+ minimum requirement.