I’m Catherine D’Ignazio, Director of the Data + Feminism Lab and an Associate Professor of Urban Science and Planning at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

I’m interested in creative ways to democratize data science, AI, and technology for social justice. I’m the co-author of the 2020 book Data Feminism together with Lauren F. Klein. My latest book, Counting Feminicide: Data Feminism in Action (MIT Press 2024), describes transnational, Latin American and Indigenous data activism about fatal gender-related violence. I co-lead the research and participatory design project Data Against Feminicide with Isadora Cruxên, Silvana Fumega, and Helena Suárez Val. I make public art & design projects, write software code & research papers, teach urban planning and computer science students, run data storytelling workshops (often with Rahul Bhargava) and feminist hackathons. I’m a compulsive collaborator, joiner and organizer and affiliated with the below organizations. I am also on the board of directors of Indigenous Women Rising, an amazing group of Native women, queer and non-binary innovators who are committed to honoring Native & Indigenous People’s inherent right to equitable and culturally safe health options through accessible health education, resources and advocacy. More about me…

red logo with D and F standing for the Data + Feminism Lab at MIT

 

I have a new book, Counting Feminicide, out from MIT Press. Join me at one of these upcoming events to learn more about it.

PlaceDate
Free online book club with Catherine + Data Pop Alliance
* English
* Spanish 
* Portuguese
May – August 2024
Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, Cambridge, MAMon May 20, 2024, 12:30pm
The AI Paradigm: Between Personhood and Power Symposium Keynote, University of California IrvineMay 23-24, 2024
How does data cooperate with feminist epistemology? 데이터는 어떻게 페미니스트 인식론과 만나는가?, Hosted by Prof. Hyomin Kim (UNIST) and Listen to the City, WISET 후원, Seoul, South Korea May 27, 2024 20:30 KST
International Congress on Women, Technology and Power Keynote, University of Deusto, San Sebastián, SpainJune 18-19, 2024
Activismo de Datos para Cambiar el Mundo, Deusto Forum, San Telmo Museoa, San Sebastián, SpainJune 20, 2024
A Conversation on Writing, Design and Publishing, Design Research Society Conference, Cambridge, MAThursday, June 27, 2024, 12-1PM ET
Digital Methods Summer School Keynote, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsMonday, Jul 1, 2024
Data + Feminism = Equality Roundtable, University of Houston, Houston, TX (Online event) Monday, August 26, 2024
Living Cities Forum, Melbourne, Australia, The Edge, Fed Square; and
Living Cities Forum, Sydney, Australia, State Library NSW
September 18 and/or 20th, 2024
Counting Feminicide: MIT Book Launch Party with Harini Suresh and Alessandra Jungs de Almeida, Dept of Urban Studies and Planning, Cambridge, MASept 19, 2024, 4:30-6PM
IEEE Visualization Conference, Capstone speaker, St Pete, FLFriday, Oct 18, 2024
Harvard Business School. “AI in Global Society” seminar series at the Harvard Digital Observatory, Keynote speaker.Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024, 12PM-1:30PM
XX Fórum contra las violencias de género, Barcelona, SpainNov 7-9, 2024
Center for Science, Society and Public Policy, California Institute of Technology.Monday, Nov 18, 2024
MIT Horizon live event (Online event).Wed, Nov 20, 2024, 12PM-1PM.
Get in touch if you are interested in inviting me to speak. If you are a group that monitors feminicide/femicide, MMIW/P, police killings, fatal violence against LGBTQ+ people or other human rights violations, I’m happy to speak with your group and share what I’ve learned from this work with no speaking fee required.

Or you can listen to me talk about Counting Feminicide on the below podcasts:

Boston Coastline: Future Past
A walking data visualization of the Boston water line as projected for the year 2100 based on climate change.

News

Updates, workshops, and recent publications