Dr. Amy Lynn Fletcher
Amy Lynn Fletcher, Ph.D. is a professional Futurist, Educator, and Writer at FuturesNSync, with twenty years experience in strategic foresight, disruptive technologies and social change, and community development. She was recently Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations in the School of Language, Social, and Political Sciences at the University of Canterbury, which specializes in science, technology, and environmental politics.
Amy is also the Associate Editor of Politics and Life Sciences Journal and an expert panel member for TechCast Global, based in Washington, D.C. She is Editorial Board Member at the Journal of Information Technology and Politics, Editorial Advisory Board Member at Research in Biopolitics, and Contributing Editor at Human Futures.
Amy’s major research areas are Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy. She is interested in Disruptive Technologies and Social Change (FinTech, Workforce, Health); Social and Environmental Impact of Genomics and Medicine; Future Studies, Foresight, and Scenarios; and Public Understanding of Science and Technology.
She is a member of the Social Science Research Centre (SSRC) group at UC, where she focuses on the integration of the computer science and biotechnological sectors and the impact of exponential technological change on public policies and society.
Her current specific interests include artificial intelligence/automation and employment, the impact of AI on the higher education sector, and disruptive biotechnologies in health and the environment.
Research questions that she considers include:
- what happens after new technologies “leave the lab” and enter society;
- what ethical and political challenges do new technologies pose;
- how can scientific and technological innovation be fostered through smart regulation and community engagement;
- what would it mean to “enhance” humans with advanced technologies and what might be the political and ethical implications?
Amy is the Author of De-Extinction and the Genomics Revolution — Life on Demand and Mendel’s Ark — Biotechnology and the Future of Extinction. In Mendel’s Ark, her first book, Amy looks at the impact of modern molecular techniques on biodiversity and extinction.
In her second book, De-Extinction, Amy considers the cultural history and politics of de-extinction, an approach to wildlife conservation that seeks to use advanced biotechnologies for genetic rescue, crisis interventions, and even species resurrections. She is currently working on Futures Literacy and Youth Resilience: Educating for the Future which is forthcoming in Freerange Press, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Amy earned her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Georgia in 1997. She earned her certificate of foresight from the University of Houston in 2019.
Her speaking experience includes talks with SingularitySummit New Zealand (2016), TEDx Christchurch (2016), Canterbury Tech Foundation, University of Canterbury, and the McGuinness Institute for Foresight.
Prior to moving to New Zealand to take up a Lecturer’s post in 2000, she worked as a Legislative Assistant in the United States House of Representatives on telecommunications and technology issues.
Amy was born in Huntsville, Alabama. Because her Dad worked on the Moon test rockets in the 1960s, she has a lifelong interest in the public dimensions of technology. She currently lives in Knoxville, TN, and works with individuals and communities to strengthen resilience and optimism during disruptive times.
Listen to How to Spot a Deep Fake.
Read Smart city visions: pathways to participatory planning in two American cities, Autonomous Vehicles and future Urban Environments: Implications for wellbeing in an ageing society, The arts will be key for humanity to thrive in the coming artificial intelligence future, and Governing the Future.
Watch De-extinction may be inevitable, but we should still ask questions at TEDxChristchurch, Public Policy and Exponential Technology, and Revisiting Tomorrow.
Visit her Academic profile and ResearchGate profile. Follow her on SpeakerMatch and Twitter.
