EPIC Board & Staff
Everything EPIC does is powered by Members in collaboration with our small but mighty staff and board. Meet our team and get in touch—we’d love to hear from you! info@epicpeople.org
Simon Roberts (he/him) considers himself to have the best job in the world: researching the emerging frontiers of people and technology and trying to land that understanding with impact in complex environments. His career began with a PhD on the satellite TV revolution in mid 1990s India. He started the UK’s first dedicated ethnographic research company, Ideas Bazaar, then led an R&D team at Intel’s Digital Health Group. In 2013, Simon co-founded Stripe Partners, a strategy and innovation consultancy. Simon has been an EPIC author/presenter, curator, peer reviewer, and co-chair of EPIC2012 and EPIC2013. He writes and speaks widely on anthropology, ethnography, and technology. His recent book is The Power of Not Thinking.
Elizabeth Churchill is the founding Department Chair and Professor of Human Computer Interaction at MBZUAI, the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Prior to joining MBZUAI, she built research teams at Google, eBay, Yahoo, PARC and FujiXerox. She has also served as Executive Vice President of the Association for Computing Machinery. Elizabeth has a background in cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and psychology; she holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Sussex, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Stockholm. She received the Citris-Banatao Institute Athena Award for Women in Technology for her Executive Leadership, the SIGCHI Lifetime Service Award in 2023, and the SIGCHI Lifetime Practice Award.
Lindsey DeWitt Prat (she/her) is a researcher and ethnographer trained in the social sciences and humanities. As Director at Bold Insight, she leads UX research initiatives that help teams understand how cultural and linguistic dynamics shape technology. Her broader interests center on identifying and addressing cultural barriers in global AI development and deployment, particularly around language. Lindsey has contributed to EPIC as a speaker, author, peer reviewer, tutorial instructor, and curator. Now based in Paris, she has lived and worked in the US, Japan, Belgium, Germany, and France. Lindsey holds a PhD in Asian Languages & Cultures from UCLA.
Samantha Gottlieb (she/her) is a science and technology studies anthropologist, and a New Yorker living in California. She most recently led Fitbit’s mobile wellbeing UXR team at Google. Sam combines her education in philosophy, gender studies, public health, and anthropology to bring a multi-disciplinary lens to her work. With over 20+ years of health technology expertise, she has worked as a consultant in biotech, digital media, public health departments, and health care startups. She is motivated by research that explores the interplay between diverse institutional actors and individuals who reclaim agency despite structural limitations. Sam first attended EPIC in 2009 and values the community of critical social thinkers and observers.
Meg Kinney is an executive marketing veteran and agency intrapreneur who came from the heartland of America and subsequently worked on the insight and strategy frontiers of just about every kind of specialization: design, branding, digital, experiential, shopper. She founded Bad Babysitter Productions – a strategy consultancy focused on using an ethnographic approach to illuminate market opportunity and create brand differentiation through deep understanding of culture, context, and what moves people emotionally. Her experience traverses Fortune 500 brands, retail, emerging sectors, and non-profits. Meg is most proud of her reputation for care, shifting mindsets toward creative holistic solutions that positively impact people and profits.
Shriram Venkatraman is an Assistant Professor of Business and Management at the University of Southern Denmark and a Fellow of the Danish Institute of Advanced Studies. He is also an Adjunct Faculty at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, India, and an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, New Delhi, India. In addition to articles in peer-reviewed journal articles, he is the author of the book Social Media in South India (UCL Press) and co-author of the comparative book How the World Changed Social Media (UCL Press).
Jennifer has worked in social science communications and communities of practice for more than 20 years. She holds degrees in anthropology, environmental geography, and development.
Crystal (she/her) is EPIC’s Director of Systems and Operations. Her experience in the nonprofit sector and prior consulting work have enabled her to support many organizations through strategic planning and implementation of enterprise systems. Through thoughtful design and continuous evolution of systems and processes, Crystal’s goal is to cultivate a virtual space where the entire EPIC community will continue to thrive. Outside of work, Crystal can be found making her way through an ever-expanding reading list or making over a home in Vermont.
Laura (she/her) is EPIC’s Communications and Community Manager. She creates cross-channel communications, supports EPIC programs and events, and builds meaningful engagement for EPIC’s global community. Laura has supported communications, community engagement, and impact measurement efforts at several international nonprofits and think tanks and holds degrees in sociology/anthropology, environmental studies, and international policy and development.