Caitlin McDonald

Caitlin McDonald is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh, focusing on innovation for cultural and creative industries policy across Europe through the Ekip policy engine—a partnership of 17 universities and organizations. With 10+ years of cross-sector experience, she leverages data and technology to drive innovation in arts, design, and cultural sectors.

Education

• PhD, University of Exeter, 2011

Her research examines how technoscapes impact cultural knowledge systems (e.g., dance), climate risks to intangible heritage, and data-driven solutions for creative industries. She bridges art, technology, and policy to address critical issues like the material origins of breast cancer treatments through projects such as Picture Your Poisons.

Her 2023 white paper Detecting Dark Matter Data establishes frameworks for improving creative industries data management, emphasizing practical applications in processing, storage, and decision-making across policy and industry contexts.

Scientific Awards

• Turing Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2022)

She has secured major funding including a €6 million European Commission grant for Ekip to develop tailored innovation policies, while advising public and private sectors on sociotechnical impacts for over a decade. Her work with Creative Informatics connects Edinburgh’s creative industries with tech to pioneer data-driven products and experiences.

McDonald actively contributes to Design Informatics, Creative Informatics, and the Ekip consortium, fostering European-wide networks to strengthen creative ecosystems through data literacy and climate resilience initiatives like Mitigating climate risks to Scotland’s festivals.