CTNS Announces the Annual Russell Family Research Fellowship in Religion and Science November 9-10, 2023
The annual CTNS Russell Family Research Fellowship in Religion and Science brings internationally distinguished scholars in religion and science, and now in ethics and technology, to the GTU.
We are delighted to announce that the Fellow for 2023-2024 is Brian Patrick Green.
Brian Patrick Green is the director of technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University and teaches AI ethics in Santa Clara University’s Graduate School of Engineering. His work focuses on AI and ethics, technology ethics in corporations, the ethics of space exploration and use, the ethics of technological manipulation of humans, the ethics of mitigation of and adaptation towards risky emerging technologies, and various aspects of the impact of technology and engineering on human life and society, including the relationship of technology and religion (particularly the Catholic Church).
Green has doctoral and master's degrees in ethics and social theory from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, and his undergraduate degree is in genetics from the University of California, Davis. He has been a lead contributor on three World Economic Forum case studies on ethical practices at Microsoft, Salesforce, and IBM, and has worked with the Partnership on AI, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, and technology companies ranging from startups to the largest. Some of his publications include the book Space Ethics (2021), being a contributing author to Encountering AI: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations (forthcoming, 2023), co-editor of the book Religious Transhumanism and Its Critics (2022), and co-editor of a special issue of the Journal of Moral Theology on AI (2022).
The title of the Ian G. Barbour Chair in Theology and Science at CTNS was expanded in 2022 to include Ethics and Technology and this expansion will also be reflected in the RFF. With his theological and ethical training, as well as his extensive work at the intersection of emerging technology and ethics, Brian is uniquely qualified to address these diverse arenas. We look forward to a couple days of wonderful conversation and collaboration.
Russell Family Fellowship Events:
Thursday November 9, 6 PM - 8 PM: Registration Link for Russell Family Fellowship Public Forum
Online Public Forum: “Should God Have Given Humans Technology?: Considerations of Nuclear Weapons, Space Technologies, Synthetic Biology, and Artificial Intelligence”
This event will be online only, please see the Russell Family Fellowship page for more information.
Friday November 10, 12 PM - 5 PM: Registration Link for Russell Family Fellowship Research Conference
Family Fellowship Research Conference: “Emerging Technologies as Provocations for Theology and Ethics”
This event will be in hybrid format, with Dr. Green and some respondents in person at the Graduate Theological Union, as well as other respondents on Zoom. You are welcome to attend in person or online. Please see the Russell Family Fellowship page for more information and complete schedule.
Since 1981, Russell Fellows have been in residence at CTNS/GTU every year to conduct research, teach doctoral and seminary courses and present public lectures at the GTU and at other San Francisco Bay Area locations.
The annual Russell Family Fellowship in Religion and Science was created in memory of John K. Russell (1896-1958). Mr. Russell, born of Italian immigrants, was an industrial engineer and humanitarian. In 2015, The J.K. Russell Research Fellowship in Religion and Science was renamed the Russell Family Fellowship in Religion and Science to honor the contributions of the Russell Family as a whole to this annual Fellowship.