Research Team
Profiles of the researchers examining internet governance, standards processes and multistakeholder institutions.
Professor of Media and Communications
Seamus Simpson
Professor of Media and Communications
Seamus Simpson examines Internet governance from the foundations of institutional authority, legitimacy and public interest representation. His contributions bring theoretical precision to debates about multistakeholder standards development.
Senior Research Fellows and Lecturers
Alison Harcourt
Senior Lecturer in Digital Policy
Alison Harcourt uses detailed cases to explain how Internet standards debates intersect with regulation, rights and institutional practice. His writing translates fieldwork evidence into accessible lessons for researchers and practitioners.
Siobhán MacLeod
Senior Research Fellow, Internet Governance and Standards
Siobhán examines how civil society organisations engage with technical standards venues, with a particular focus on IETF, IRTF and OASIS participation models. Her work connects empirical fieldwork with strategic questions about representation, capacity and influence.
Associate Professors and Research Fellows
Dr Arjun Banerjee
Associate Professor of Digital Governance
Arjun studies Internet standards organisations through institutional theory, governance design and documentary analysis. His research clarifies how procedural rules, technical artefacts and strategic positioning shape civil society influence in global standards development.
George Christou
Reader in International Cybersecurity Governance
George Christou examines Internet standards through the lens of power, security and international governance. Her work connects technical coordination with the broader political architecture shaping digital infrastructure.
Imir Rashid
Qualitative Researcher
Imir Rashid focuses on the methods used to study participation in complex standards environments. Her work clarifies how interviews, observation and document analysis can be combined to produce robust findings.
James Loud
Research Fellow in Internet Governance
James Loud writes comparatively about how civil society actors navigate IETF, IRTF, OASIS and adjacent governance spaces. His work connects institutional detail with the wider strategic context of global standards development.