The McGill Collaborative for AI and Society (McCAIS), CDSI’s flagship strategic initiative, is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Elsa Vasseur as its new Co-Director. As McCAIS continues to grow as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration at the intersection of AI and society, Prof. Vasseur will bring extensive experience in responsible AI, inclusive innovation, and stakeholder-enabled research to its leadership.
The appointment follows Professor Golnoosh Farnadi’s (Assistant Professor, School of Computer Science) tenure as Co-Director. As a founding member of McCAIS’ inaugural leadership team, Prof. Farnadi played a pivotal role in shaping the initiative from its earliest stages, helping define its vision, priorities and trajectory for growth. Her leadership and guidance were instrumental to McCAIS’ development and helped establish the collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that remains central to the initiative today. Among her many accomplishments, Prof. Farnadi notably spearheaded the Embedded Ethics initiative, a joint effort between the Faculty of Arts and McCAIS, integrating ethics directly into McGill Computer Science classes alongside technical content.
Dr. Elsa Vasseur is an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Science at McGill University, a William Dawson Scholar, and Co-Chairholder of the Research and Innovation Chair in Animal Welfare and Artificial Intelligence (WELL-E). A recognized leader in responsible and inclusive innovation, she advances the development, governance, and deployment of artificial intelligence to address complex societal and environmental challenges.
Inclusive innovation is guided by the principle that substantial system transformation must be co-developed with stakeholders while delivering tangible societal and environmental benefits. Dr. Vasseur leads interdisciplinary research and inclusive innovation initiatives that bring together industry leaders, producers, policymakers, and community organizations as end users that shape the future of responsible AI. She develops scalable solutions that advance sustainable food systems and food security, enhance the wellbeing of people and animals, foster resilient communities, and drive sustainable systems transformation.
Dr. Vasseur’s appointment as Co-Director builds on her longstanding involvement with McCAIS. She has served as the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ lead on the McCAIS’ Leadership Group since March 2024, helping shape the initiative’s strategic direction. Alongside her Co-Director, Professor Samira A-. Rahimi and the Leadership Group, Dr. Vasseur will focus on further strengthening McCAIS’ identity as a leading interdisciplinary strategic initiative and amplifying its impact across research, training, and societal engagement.
“McCAIS is at a defining moment in its development, and I am enthusiastic about contributing to its transformation,” Dr. Vasseur says. “By bringing together researchers, students, community partners, industry, and policymakers, we are uniquely positioned to shape AI innovation that is both responsible and responsive to societal needs. I look forward to helping strengthen McCAIS’ role as a catalyst for interdisciplinary collaboration and impact at McGill and beyond.”
