Joanne Kim
AI Safety
Program Manager
About
Joanne Kim is the Program Manager for AI Safety at CIFAR. In her role, she manages the Canadian AI Safety Institute (CAISI) Research Program at CIFAR, including the CAISI Research Council, grant calls and evaluation, and events and other strategic
priorities.
Prior to joining CIFAR, she led health technology assessments and managed a precision medicine program at Canada's Drug Agency (formerly CADTH), supporting evidence-informed policymaking across health systems for a decade. As the lead of
digital health and AI, she co-chaired an international methods working group and spearheaded the Agency’s first formal assessment of an AI diagnostic tool. This work piqued her interest in responsible AI, prompting a career pivot to AI safety.
She has undergraduate and master’s degrees in molecular biology and genetics and a PhD in outcomes research and health economics, all from the University of Toronto. Her professional career began with biomedical research through a high school co-op placement on the Human Genome Project and grew into applied research focused on societal impacts of genetic testing on individual behaviours and consumer markets. Her interests lie in the intersection of science, technology, society, and policy.