Prof Hallam Stevens ~ Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies

I am an historian of science and technology specializing in the history of the life sciences and the history of information technology. My first book, Life out of sequence: a data driven history of bioinformatics (Chicago, 2013), examined the transformational role of computers and databases in recent biology. I am also the author of Biotechnology and society: an introduction (Chicago, 2016) and the co-editor (with Sarah Richardson) of Postgenomics: Perspectives on Biology After the Genome (Duke, 2015). 

My work crosses between history and anthropology and more recently I have written about the political and social impacts of artificial intelligence, big data, and surveillance technologies, particularly in an Asian context. I am currently completing a book about the rise of the life sciences in China. 

For more details about my current projects, interests, and publications see: http://hallamstevens.org

Teaching

• HI2010: History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in the Torrid Zone (Level 2; TSV)
• SC1101: Science, Technology and Truth (Level 1; TSV)
• SS1010: Australian People: Indigeneity and Multiculturalism (Level 1; TSV)

Interests

Research

• history of life sciences
• history of information technology
• science, technology and society (STS)

Teaching

• history of science
• history of technology

Experience

• 2016 to 2022 - Associate Professor, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
• 2017 - Visiting Scholar, Shenzhen University (Shenzhen, China)
• 2011 to 2016 - Assistant Professor, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
• 2014 - Visiting Scholar, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (Berlin, Germany)
• 2010 to 2011 - Lecturer, Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Research Disciplines

• Sociology (4410)
• Historical studies (4303)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• culture and society (1399)
• Communication technologies, systems and services (2201)
• Understanding past societies (1307)

Awards

• 2022 - John A. Lent Prize (AAS)
• 2020 - "Stories of a Pandemic" Best commentary award (June)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Addison C and Stevens H (2022) Crowdfunding Conservation Science: Tracing the Participatory Dynamics of Native Parrot Genome Sequencing. Science, Technology & Human Values, 47 (3). pp. 568-596
• Stevens H (2022) The business machine in biology: the commercialization of AI in the life science. IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, 44 (1). pp. 8-19
• Jasanoff S, McGonigle I and Stevens H (2021) Science and Technology for Humanity: An STS View from Singapore. East Asian Science, Technology and Society, 15 (1). pp. 68-78
• Ratan R, Earle K, Rosenthal S, Hua Chen V, Gambino A, Goggin G, Stevens H, Li B and Lee K (2021) The (digital) medium of mobility is the message: examining the influence of e-scooter mobile app perceptions on e-scooter use intent. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 3.
• Stevens H (2021) From RangKoM and JARING to the Internet: visions and practices of electronic networking in Malaysia, 1983–1996. Internet Histories, 5 (3-4). pp. 230-247
• Stevens H and Haines M (2020) Trace together: Pandemic response, democracy, and technology. East Asian Science, Technology and Society, 14 (3). pp. 523-532
• Stevens H (2019) Open data, closed government: Unpacking data.gov.sg. First Monday, 24 (4).
• Stevens H (2019) The Quotidian Labour of High Tech: Innovation and Ordinary Work in Shenzhen. Science, Technology & Society, 24 (2). pp. 218-236
• Stevens H (2018) Starting up biology in China: performances of life at BGI. Osiris, 33 (1). pp. 85-106
• Stevens H (2018) Hans Peter Luhn and the birth of the hashing algorithm. IEEE Spectrum, 55 (2). pp. 44-49

Book Chapters

• Stevens H and Chan J (2022) Computing Nanyang: information technology in a developing Singapore, 1965-85. In: Abstractions and Embodiments New Histories of Computing and Society. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, USA, pp. 299-319
• Stevens H (2020) Transfish: The multiple origins of transgenic salmon. In: Synthetic Biology 2020: Frontiers in risk analysis and governance. Risk, Systems and Decisions. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp. 51-64

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 22+ research outputs authored by Prof Hallam Stevens from 2016 onwards.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Palliative Medicine Pioneers: A Window into the History and Development of Palliative Care in Australia (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Contemporary Kalkatungu Art, Kuathuat the Rainbow Serpent and Relational Cultural Integrity (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.