Dr Andelka Phillips

Dr Andelka M. Phillips is a Senior Lecturer in Law, Science and Technology in the TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland and is also a Research Affiliate with the University of Oxford's Centre for Health, Law and Emerging Technologies (HeLEX). She is also affiliated to the Bioethics Institute Ghent (BIG) at the Ghent University.

If you need to contact Dr Phillips, please email in the first instance.

Dr Phillips' research interests are broadly in the areas of Technology and Cyber Law, as well as Medical Law, Privacy, and Consumer Protection. Her current and on-going research is concerned with a variety of issues, including: the regulation of emerging and disruptive technologies including developments in artificial intelligence, protection of privacy in the digital context, genetic privacy, consumer protection, wrap contracts, surveillance technologies, regulation of robotics, synthetic biology, cyber security, and responsible innovation. She is also particularly interested in the societal impact of new and emerging technologies.

Much of her recent research has focused on the regulation of direct-to-consumer genetic tests (also known as personal genomics or DTC), examining the industry's use of wrap contracts (browsewrap and clickwrap). This is the subject of her book entitled Buying Your Self on the Internet: Wrap Contracts and Personal Genomics which was first published by Edinburgh University Press as the first volume in its Future Law series in 2019. The paperback edition of this book was published in May 2021. She also co-edited with Professor Jonathan Herring and Dr Thana de Campos Philosophical Foundations of Medical Law, which was published as part of Oxford University Press' Philosophical Foundations of Law series in 2019.

Dr Phillips' two most recent funded projects are: Fairness and Transparency in Emerging Health Markets: Protecting New Zealanders from the Risks of Personal Genomics' with Professor Samuel Becher at Victoria University of Wellington (funded by the Borrin Foundation); and 'My DNA, Your DNA, Our DNA: General public attitudes towards genetic privacy' together with Dr Jan Charbonneau at the University of Tasmania (funded by the University of Waikato and Genomics Aotearoa);

The 'Fairness and Transparency in Emerging Health Markets: Protecting New Zealanders from the Risks of Personal Genomics' has two recent op-eds linked to this project:

• Andelka M. Phillips and Samuel Becher, 'At-home DNA tests just aren't that reliable – and the risks may outweigh the benefits' The Conversation (29 November 2022)
• Samuel Becher and Andelka M. Phillips, 'DNA Testing is Not "Just Saliva"' The Regulatory Review (9 January 2023)
• Please also see the video Before you buy DNA tests - things to consider

Dr Phillips is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand (JRSNZ).

Dr Phillips is also participating in the CYDIPLO project, which explores 'the emerging field of cyberdiplomacy, in the EU and with key strategic partners. Drawing on perspectives from computer science, political science, law, and behavioural science, it explores a variety of questions, including, how is cyberdiplomacy implemented at the state, non-state, regional and global levels across key issue areas?' For more information see https://cyberdiplomacy.net

Dr Phillips is also on the Advisory Board for the ConnecteDNA project and also on the Ethics Advisory Board for the SEURO (Scaling EUROpean citizen driven transferable and transformative digital health) project, as well as the Advisory Board for AI for the Planet.

She is also a member of the New Zealand Privacy Foundation (https://www.privacyfoundation.nz).

Previously, she has worked as a Senior Lecturer at Te Piringa - Faculty of Law, the University of Waikato and prior to that she was the Ussher Assistant Professor in Information Technology Law in the School of Law at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. She completed her doctoral degree at the University of Oxford.