Nina Hallowell

Nina Hallowell (4 November 1957 – 28 June 2023) was a medical sociologist and Professor of Social and Ethical Aspects of Genomics at the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, England. Hallowell's research focused on patient's experiences of genetic testing, the sociology of risk, and the sociology of the body.

Early life and education Nina was born in November 1957.

Career and research Hallowell joined the University of Cambridge in 1994, joining as a research associate in the Centre for Family Research within the Department of Psychology on a project researching families and genetic disorders. Her work focused on risk perception and awareness in the genetic context. In 2008 she was awarded funding at Edinburgh University by the Leverhulme Trust to investigate lay and expert views of cancer genetics.

Hallowell rejoined Oxford University in 2016 where she held the titles of Senior Researcher and Associate Professor. Hallowell also co-directed the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Health Data Science, within the Big Data Institute. She delivered her inaugural lecture, introduced by Professor Sir Rory Collins, at the Nuffield Department of Population Health in May 2022, which was titled "Solitary, poor, brutish, and short' (Hobbes, 1651): my career as a contract researcher".

Hallowell was a member of the Biometrics and Forensics Ethics Group, an advisory non-departmental public body sponsored by the Home Office. She undertook this role between 2011 and 2020 and again from 2021 onwards. She chaired the BFEG's Facial Recognition Working Group from 2018 to 2019 which identified key ethical areas to be considered when designing policy and deploying facial recognition technology in police forces. She died on 28 June 2023 aged 65.

Selected publications

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