CFUW Memorial Fellowship 2021-2022

2021-2022

Value: $8,000

Honours those for whom the CFUW Charitable Trust receives memorial donations. At the time of application, the candidate must be enrolled in masters studies in science, mathematics or engineering. This fellowship is tenable in Canada or abroad.

2021-2022 Winner:

CINDY CHEN

• B.A.Sc. Arts & Science, 2013, McMaster University
• B.A. Business Administration (Hons), 2015, Western University
• Masters Program in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences, 2021-2023, Columbia University

Recent news stories have revealed gender and racial discrimination embedded in algorithms that make critical decisions such as granting financial credit, determining social assistance eligibility, and prioritizing healthcare waitlists.  Although these discriminatory errors in algorithms are generally unintentional, they are often discovered reactively and consequences.

Cindy’s research aims to identify inequities and oversights in algorithmic decisions behind benefits applications, propose improvements, and ultimately formalize a technical framework for auditing algorithms that determine public benefits.