News
Sahana Udupa becomes Harvard Berkman Klein Fellow
23 Aug 2024
Sahana Udupa, Professor of Media Anthropology at LMU Munich, has been selected a Berkman Klein Fellow at Harvard University.
© Andreas J. Focke
The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society is welcoming her into its ranks along with 22 other experts from research and practice. For the duration of an academic year, they will engage in an interdisciplinary approach to the opportunities and challenges of the digital world. Berkman Klein Fellowship is one of the most prestigious fellowships for scholars and practitioners of Internet media, AI, and policy.
“It is rewarding and exciting to be part of BKC Harvard, a leading research center in the field of Internet studies. Their flagship fellowship program is unique in bringing together academic and policy expertise, and in facilitating rigorous inquiry through exchange of ideas and access to some of the finest knowledge resources”, says Sahana Udupa.
The Communication scientist and anthropologist is the founder of the research network “Centre for Digital Dignity” at LMU and is already a Joan Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University. She has published numerous publications on topics such as extreme speech on the Internet, disinformation, AI, digital cultures and platform governance. Udupa received a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for her project on digital politics and a Proof of Concept Grant from the ERC for the development of a collaborative AI model to address extreme speech on the Internet. In 2023, she was also awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant of 2 million euros for her new “SMALLPLATFORMS” project.
During her Berkman Klein Fellowship at Harvard University, Udupa will examine the growing role of small social media platforms in shaping contentious speech, launching a new cross-country study as well as advancing comparative research on encrypted messaging.
“I look forward to interacting with members of the fellowship cohort and the broader Harvard community to advance ongoing work into encrypted messaging and extreme speech, as well as launch the new ERC consolidator project on small social media platforms”, says the media anthropologist.