Tatiana Makhoul

Sandy Yu

The Sussex Digital Humanities Lab PhD Community Advocate programme is an annual scheme for Post Graduate researchers to design and run a programme of events under a theme within the Centre’s remit. The scheme opens in the Autumn term and welcomes applications from PhD candidates across the university. This year’s theme is Data and Digital Justice.

This year’s Advocates are Tatiana Makhoul (Law) and Sandy Yu (Digital Media) and we had a chat with them about their plans for the programme and what it means to them.

What’s on for this year?

Sandy: For this year’s programme, we plan on organising a few workshops for PGRs as a convivial space for discussing and work through topics pertaining to Data and Digital Justice. The first workshop was on Digital Sovereignty, and it introduced the concept of and its impact on researchers, as well as existing frameworks for addressing related issues. 

Tatiana: The next event in the programme is Lunch in the Lab on 23 April at 12.30pm. I encourage all PGRs at Sussex with an interest in the subject to attend (click here to register). Everyone welcome. This workshop is ideal for everyone who wants to learn more about digital justice, engage in meaningful discussion on data sovereignty, and meet other like-minded individuals concerned or even quietly optimistic about the state of our digital futures. The programme will culminate in a Symposium on the subject during SHL week in June.

Why Data Sovereignty? Why do you think this topic is important from your perspective? 

Tatiana: We selected this topic because of the increase in personal data we generate online but have no control over how it is shared, utilised or stored. This highlights the lack of sovereignty over the data we generate. We want to introduce this topic to increase digital literacy around the subject and demonstrate how it affects our research, marginalised communities and cultural access. Our aim is to create discussions about how we can get back our autonomy and boost digital literacy to achieve real digital justice in our online presence.

Sandy: My own research area is in visual cultures, so I am particularly interested in how these topics influence and is influenced by the circulation of visual media.

What do you want to get out of this years’ programme as a researcher?

Sandy: Through this programme, I would like to lay the foundations for like-minded post-graduate researchers to collaborate on interdisciplinary research, and to share perspectives from across different schools. I am looking forward to widening my own understanding of the topics at hand through getting to know the projects fellow researchers are working on. 

Tatiana: As a postgraduate researcher, I am eager to connect with PhD’s from other schools and disciplines to build a sense of community at Sussex. Furthermore, this program gives me a chance to dive into topics beyond my core research areas and enhance my communication and presentation skills. So far, joining the team has been an incredible experience, and organising these workshops has really helped me grow as a postgraduate researcher.

Sandy is PhD researcher in Digital Media, focusing on the effects of digital media and culture on time perception. Read more about Sandy here.

Tatiana is a PhD researcher in Law, her thesis is on Blockchain and copyright law within the music industry. Read more about Tatiana here.

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