Keynote Speakers

Ashley Shew works in philosophy of technology at its intersection with disability studies, emerging technologies, and animal studies. Shew currently serves as co-editor-in-chief of the journal of the Society for Philosophy and Technology, Techné. She is sole author of Animal Constructions and Technological Knowledge (2017) and co-editor of three philosophy of tech volumes: Spaces for the Future (with Joe Pitt, 2017), Feedback Loops (with Andrew Garnar, 2020), and Reimagining Philosophy and Technology, Reinventing Ihde (with Glen Miller, 2020). Her essays are published in Nature, The Chronicle of Higher Education, IEEE Technology & Society, Inside Higher Ed, Nursing Clio, and Catalyst. Shew received a U.S. National Science Foundation CAREER Grant, 2018-2023, to study narratives about technology from the disability community (#1750260). Her new book Against Technoableism will be published with Norton in Fall 2023.

Dr. de Melo-Martín, the current SPT President, is Professor of Medical Ethics in the Division of Medical Ethics, and in the Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Weill Cornell Medical College. She holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and a M.S. in Molecular Biology. Her research interests include bioethics and philosophy of science and technology. She works on ethical issues related to reprogenetic technologies and genetic science and technology and on ethical challenges and epistemic aspects confronting the biomedical sciences. Her latest books are Rethinking Reprogenetics (OUP, 2017) and, with Kristen Intemann, The Fight Against Doubt (OUP, 2018).

Sanna Lehtinen (PhD 2015, Univ. of Helsinki) works as Research Fellow in the Transdisciplinary Art Studies unit (TAITE) at the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. She is also Docent in Aesthetics at the University of Helsinki. Sanna's research focuses on the intersection of urban aesthetics, philosophy of the city, and philosophy of technology. Sanna’s publications include journal articles published in Open Philosophy, Essays in Philosophy, Philosophical Inquiries, Sustainability Science, and Behaviour & Information Technology, invited articles in edited volumes published by Routledge, Bloomsbury, Springer, and Oxford University Press, as well as editing special issues for Environmental Values, Contemporary Aesthetics, ESPES, East Asian Journal of Philosophy, and Open Philosophy. Sanna is Codirector in the Board of the international Philosophy of the City Research Group (PotC) and an affiliate member of 4TU. Centre for Ethics and Technology (NL). Sanna is a member of the editorial boards of several international academic journals in addition to serving as Assistant Editor of Contemporary Aesthetics and Co-editor-in-chief of the new Philosophy of the City Journal.

https://www.sannalehtinen.com

Born and raised in Shinjuku, an area of Tokyo known for diversity, HAN Ayumi has been designing strategic interventions at the societal level for thirty years. She is committed to the perspective of “city as human habitat” and through her designs aims to encourage the development of an ecosystem that feels livable and nurturing to everyone.

While undertaking transdisciplinary road environment design projects for clients such as the Japan Highway Public Corporation (now NEXCO), Han began developing an original high-level design concept based on principles from ecological psychology and visual informatics that she has named “sequence design®.” She conceived the concept in 1993 as part of a design proposal for the 10-kilometer undersea tunnel of the Trans-Tokyo Bay Expressway (now Aqua-Line). When faced with the challenge of considering speed, she had the insight to focus on time instead of space. Sequence design provides visual cues to guide emergent perception-action of humans as they engage in locomotion. To pursue technology-based simulation and scientific verification for her designs, Han enrolled in University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, and for twelve years, while continuing to work as a designer, she developed sequence design through a combination of practical tests and theoretical research. She has demonstrated that sequence design is applicable to any environment where humans are moving from one place to another, whether that be driving on a road or walking through a housing complex. Her patented Optical Dot System (ODS) of road markings for safe and smooth driving stands out as one of sequence design’s most significant practical applications.

Pursuing the theme of “city as human habitat” from all angles, Han has collaborated with Professor KONO Tetsuya of Rikkyo University to offer grassroots forums for philosophical discussion to residents in areas undergoing rapid change. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they organized a philosophical dialogue workshop as part of the event series “Is the City Ours” held in Shibaura, Tokyo (2020), and for residents in Showa village, Fukushima prefecture, who are about to be affected by the opening of a long tunnel, they hosted a “philosophy cafe” (2021-22).

Han has received an AIJ (Architectural Institute of Japan) Prize for redesign of the Asaka Hamazaki Danchi housing complex (2017), L'Oreal Award for Science & Art (1997), and Good Design Awards. Her publications include the book Construction "Sight" Design (2006) and essays contributed to Civic Pride 2 (2015) and Media Cities/Digital Studies Volume 3 (2015).

After graduating from Meiji University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, he worked for IBM Japan, Itochu Corporation, SAP Japan, Peking University Fangzheng Group, and BitAisle Equinix before joining Denso in 2016. In charge of IoT promotion in connected cars, he became General Manager of the Digital Innovation Office in 2017 and General Manager of the MaaS Development Department in 2018 before becoming an executive officer in January 2021. Currently, he is the Director of the Cloud Services Development Department of the Research and Development Center.

He also founded Design for ALL Corporation, an innovation creation and service design consulting firm, and teaches as a visiting professor at Gifu University.