Delighted to reconnect with Alexandre Caldas yesterday. Alex was a researcher at the OII during our early years, mainly working with a world leading economist, the late-Professor Paul David, during several years when he was at the OII. We met with another OII colleague in these early years, Professor Ralph Schroeder, who I first met … Continue reading From OII to Global Impact: Alex Caldas’ Journey
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Rethinking Cyber Safety in the Age of AI
Dr Ruth Shillair* and Bill Dutton For years, cyber security experts have taught the public how to reduce the risks of phishing attacks, such as by looking for poor English grammar, misspellings, the lack of high-quality logos, strange URLs, or calls seeking immediate action (e.g., click here immediately). Good advice pre-AI, but the use of … Continue reading Rethinking Cyber Safety in the Age of AI
A Bad Deal for American Universities
A Bad Deal for American Universities, with an added Postscript The White House has sent a ‘Compact for Excellence in Higher Education’ to nine universities across the US.[1] The Trump administration wants to make a deal with them that is likely to be extended to many, if not all, American universities. The Trump administration offers … Continue reading A Bad Deal for American Universities
Forever Grateful to Dame Stephanie Shirley
The wonderful obituary appearing in today’s Financial Times of Dame Stephanie Shirley adds to a growing number of so well-deserved obituaries and tributes to her life and work. I encourage you to read the FT’s contribution, entitled ‘Child refugee who became an IT pioneer’ (16 August 2025: 7). Since her escape to England in 1938 … Continue reading Forever Grateful to Dame Stephanie Shirley
Universities in Crisis, A. Michael Noll
[This opinion piece is posted with the permission of the author, A. Michael Noll, with thanks. The author raises many controversial issues facing American universities. While I do not necessarily agree with Professor Noll's analysis, his essay could help move discussion toward an identification of issues and possible solutions, which would be valuable for all … Continue reading Universities in Crisis, A. Michael Noll
Discussions on Reclaiming Europe: The Young Network TransEurope
I participated in one of the first events of a new academy called ‘Young Network TransEurope’ (YNT). The event, entitled Reclaiming Europe, was held in Gdańsk, Poland, on the 13th to 15th of October 2024. The YNT academy has been designed to stimulate the European project, in this event, in response to the Russian war … Continue reading Discussions on Reclaiming Europe: The Young Network TransEurope
Technology, Society, and Power
Technology & Society Meets Power A new book by Professor Jan van Dijk signals a major shift in debate on technology and society – the increasing centrality of power. I’ve endorsed his book, which is aptly entitled Power and Technology (Polity 2024). Jan van Dijk, an emeritus professor at the University of Twente, has been … Continue reading Technology, Society, and Power
Portulans’ New Team of Fellows
I had the pleasure of attending an introduction – an ‘onboarding’ – of this year’s new Fellows of The Portulans Institute. There is nothing like meeting a group of talented early career academics and professionals to reinforce my optimism about the future. Our fellows are a clear example of this promise. Screen shot from the … Continue reading Portulans’ New Team of Fellows
Courtney Bower Joins the Ukraine Case Studies
The Ukraine Case Studies Team is delighted to be joined by Courtney Bower, a Ph.D. candidate in regional science at Cornell University and a Senior Fellow at the Portulans Institute. Courtney’s research examines technological resilience and regional innovation systems. Related topics of his research include the circular economy, post-war reconstruction, infrastructure policy, and Black Sea … Continue reading Courtney Bower Joins the Ukraine Case Studies
Three (Old) Musketeers of Academia
I am back in Oxford after a wonderful conference on 7 June 2024 at Sciences Po, a research university in Paris, one of the world’s leading universities in the social sciences focused on political science and international relations. The event had the wonderful title of ‘Back to the Future: From Stone Age Telematics to Artificial … Continue reading Three (Old) Musketeers of Academia