Keolu Fox

Keolu Fox (Kānaka Maoli) is an American genome scientist. He is an assistant professor in the anthropology department at the University of California, San Diego. He studies genomics, with a focus on Indigenous data sovereignty and benefit sharing for biomedical research.

Fox has been an advocate for the community-based participatory research or CBPR model as a strategy for increasing collaboration between the field of genetics and Indigenous communities. He has also examined the potential use of data trusts, federated machine intelligence, and blockchain technologies for Indigenous data sovereignty. Fox is the first Native Hawaiian to receive a PhD in genome sciences.

Research

Fox has studied the introduction of leprosy to Oceania using Ancient DNA. He has also worked to empower Native American communities with technologies for mobile genome sequencing.

In 2021, Fox and others demonstrated how genomic studies of Indigenous peoples, particularly Pacific Islanders, can reveal their migratory histories, enhance understanding of disease susceptibility due to colonial impacts, and support claims for land repatriation and Indigenous rights.

Professional Activities

Fox is a co-founder and board member of the Native BioData Consortium. Fox is an advocate of Indigenous futurism. In 2020, Fox, Theresa Ambo, and K. Wayne Yang foundered the UCSD Indigenous Futures Institute (IFI). The IFI is an Indigenous-led institute that aims to counter the legacy of unethical scientific practice and Indigenous peoples. IFI channels a community-based participatory model to create community-driven solutions to climate crisis, global pandemics, and the continued denial of Indigenous sovereignty.

At UCSD, Fox is affiliated with the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute, the Institute for Genomic Medicine, the Department of Anthropology, the Global Health Program, the Climate Action Lab, the Design Lab, and the J Craig Venter Institute. Fox also serves as a faculty advisor to UCSD's Black Surf Week program, which combines athletic training in surfing with the study of Black people's relationships to water.

References

1. Sarah Ballard
2. Krystal Tsosie
3. Nanibaa' Garrison
4. Common misunderstandings of genetics
5. Post-classical history