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  Dr Jesse Sowell  No more applications being accepted  Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)

About the Project

Network interference, effectively limiting the use of open Internet communication, is on the rise. Network interference ranges from narrowly scoped Internet censorship responding to political protests to sustained Internet shutdowns disconnecting entire countries, impacting not only free speech, but also these countries’ economies. The sophisticated tools and techniques used for network interference are becoming increasingly common across the political spectrum. Understanding the scope and political efficacy of network interference is critical to sustaining the open and nondiscriminatory flow of knowledge and ideas in the global political economy.

This project takes a sociotechnical approach to understanding the mechanisms underlying network interference and their efficacy as political tools. On the technical side, this work builds on data from projects such as the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) and Access Now’s Shutdown Tracker Optimization Project (STOP) to understand the scope, scale, and magnitude of network interference, with a special focus on the capabilities and capacities necessary for governments to sustain network interference strategies. Specific case studies will be identified and developed to understand the efficacy of these strategies, especially in cases where technology transfers from more developed states both further commoditize resource intensive interference campaigns and reinforce the politics of information control. Taken together, this project will integrate studies of political regime type and applications of network interference to better understand the impact of network interference trends on Internet communication, the efficacy of these strategies in meeting regimes’ political goals, and the impact on open communication writ broadly.

Project supervisor

Dr Jesse Sowell, Lecturer in Internet Governance and Policy within UCL’s Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP).

Eligibility and how to apply

This project seeks students passionate about understanding the impacts of network interference and that are keen to engage in sociotechnical research integrating methods from Internet measurement and the social sciences, in particular mixed methods approaches integrating quantitative analyses, geospatial data visualization, and case based methods from political science and international relations.

Full details on eligibility and how to apply can be found here (link to: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/epsrc-doctoral-training/prospective-students/apply-ucl-epsrc-dtp-studentship#eligibility)

If you have any questions please contact Dr Jesse Sowell at [Email Address Removed] or [Email Address Removed]

Duration of award

4 years


Computer Science (8) Engineering (12) Politics & Government (30) Sociology (32)

Funding Notes

Maintenance stipend at the UCL EPSRC DTP enhanced rate plus a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £4,800 to support with additional costs of training (e.g. courses, project costs, conferences, travel).