CyberBRICS Team
Luca Belli
CTS-FGV Coordinator, CyberBRICS Director
Dr Luca Belli is Professor of Digital Governance and Regulation at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) Law School, Rio de Janeiro, where he directs the Center for Technology and Society (CTS-FGV) and the CyberBRICS project. Luca is also editor of the International Data Privacy Law (IDPL) Journal, published by Oxford University Press, and Director of the Computers Privacy and Data Protection conference Latin-America (CPDP LatAm). He is currently member of the Brazilian Presidency’s National Cybersecurity Committee [...]
Ian Brown
Research ICT Africa, Senior Fellow
CyberBRICS Visiting Professor. Ian Brown is Senior Fellow with Research ICT Africa’s Digital Policy Programme, where he is researching cyber-security, data protection, and human rights policy in Africa. He was previously Principal Scientific Officer at the UK government’s Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport; Professor of Information Security and Privacy at the University of Oxford; and a Knowledge Exchange Fellow with the [...]
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Min Jiang
UNC Charlotte, Associate Professor of Communication
CyberBRICS Visiting Professor. Min Jiang (Ph.D.) is Associate Professor of Communication at UNC Charlotte, a secretariat member of the annual international Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC) and Associate Editor at Sage journal Communication & The Public. Her research focuses on Chinese Internet technologies (search engine, social media, big data), politics (digital activism, online political satire, diplomacy), business [...]
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Andrey Shcherbovich
National Research University Higher School of Economics
CyberBRICS Visiting Professor. Andrey A. Shcherbovich is Associate professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Faculty of Law (Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law), in Moscow, Russia. His professional Interests include Internet Governance; Constitutional Law; Human Rights; International Public Law and Procedure; Information Law; International Organizations; United Nations. [...]
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Anja Kovacs
Internet Democracy Project, Director
Dr. Anja Kovacs directs the Internet Democracy Project in India, which works towards an Internet that supports freedom of expression, democracy and social justice, in India and beyond. Her research currently focuses on questions regarding cybersecurity, surveillance and privacy, and regarding freedom of expression, including work on gender, surveillance, bodies and dataveillance and gender and online abuse. She has also worked as an international [...]
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Sagwadi Mabunda
University of the Western Cape, PhD Candidate
Sagwadi Mabunda is a PhD Candidate at the University of the Western Cape. Her Doctoral thesis investigates the legislative responses of Cybercrime by analysing and critiquing the South African Cybercrimes Bill. She is a prolific speaker who has presented papers in a numerous conferences both in South Africa and internationally (Italy, Germany, Namibia and Botswana). She has published a number papers on her research interests which include [...]
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Shilpa Jaswant
O.P. Jindal Global University
Shilpa Singh Jaswant is currently an Assistant Professor at Jindal Global Law school, O P Jindal Global Law University, India.
She completed B.Sc. LLB. (Hons) from Gujarat National Law University in 2017. She was awarded the DAAD Scholarship in 2017-18, financed by the European Union, to pursue LLM in European law at the Europa Kolleg- University of Hamburg. Her LLM thesis was published as a Study paper and awarded as the best research. Prior to teaching at Jindal, she
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Larissa Galdino
State University of Campinas
CyberBRICS Fellow. Larissa is Ph.D. in Political Science at the State University of Campinas, and analyzed the open government in the city of São Paulo. She was a researcher under the International Affairs Canada Award scholarship to participate in the Future Leaders in the Americas Program (“PFLA”), while she started to get interested working in the analyzing public policy development rooted in technology and data. Larissa became a member of the Social Science and Humanities Council of Canada [...]
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Senka Hadzic
Research ICT Africa, Senior Fellow
CyberBRICS Fellow. Dr Senka Hadzic is a Senior Fellow at Research ICT Africa, where she was a Ford/Media Democracy Fund Tech Exchange fellow from 2018-2019 working on alternative spectrum policies to enable small scale operators and community networks. She is also affiliated with the ICT for Development Centre at the University of Cape Town where she was a postdoctoral fellow from 2016-2018. Her expertise is in low cost [...]
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Smriti Parsheera
National Institute of Public Finance & Policy, New Delhi
CyberBRICS Fellow. Smriti Parsheera is a Fellow at the National Institute of Public Finance & Policy, New Delhi, where she focuses on technology policy research. Her areas of interest include privacy and digital rights, regulatory governance and competition policy. She is one of the authors of the book "Responsible AI: A Global Policy Framework". She has previously worked as a member of the research secretariat for the [...]
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Ekaterina Martynova
CyberBRICS Visiting Researcher
Ekaterina graduated Law at Moscow State University in 2012, she is Master in Law from Higher School of Economics, Moscow (2021). Ekaterina has 10+ years’ experience in corporate and financial law, both in law firms and in-house, as well as research and teaching experience. Currently Ekaterina is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of International Law of Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Her Doctoral thesis investigates how the law of state responsibility applies in cyberspace. Ekaterina heads the research group “From Science Fiction to Legal Science: State Responsibility in Cyberspace” at Higher School of Economics, Moscow.
Wei Wang
University of Hong Kong, PhD Candidate
CyberBRICS Fellow. Wayne Wei Wang is now a PhD Candidate in Computational Legal Studies at the University of Hong Kong. Trained in Engineering and Law, Wayne focuses his research interests on IP & IT Law, Innovation Policy, particularly by means of data science methods. He engages as an Administrative Officer for Creative Commons Hong Kong Chapter. Wayne (has) held the fellowship of DERN/GSAN Resilience [...]
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Walter B. Gaspar
CyberBRICS Manager, CTS-FGV Researcher
CyberBRICS Manager. Lawyer, graduated Law at FGV in 2015. Master in Public Health from UERJ (2017), studying the interface between innovation, intellectual property and access to medicines policies in Brazil. Grantee of the Fundación Botín Programme for the Public Interest in Latin America (2013). Researcher in the Fiocruz and Shuttleworth Foundation project on intellectual property and access to medicines (2017). National [...]
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Giovanni Malta
CyberBRICS Researcher
Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Social Communication with a major in Advertising at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Previous experience at the Labororatório de Publicidade Expandida (Expanded Advertising Laboratory) at UFRJ. Also worked in collaboration with the UK-based NGO Words Heal the World for the Youth Production Network project. And his research primarily focuses on platforms and algorithms within the context of social media.
Erica Bakonyi
CyberBRICS Researcher
Lawyer and DPO-as-a-service, with experience in projects of compliance with privacy and data protection legislation for the consulting companies “Arquitetura Educacional” and “Macher Tecnologia”. Researcher at FGV Direito Rio, at the Center for Technology and Society (CTS). [...]
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ALEXANDRE COSTA BARBOSA
CyberBRICS Researcher
Alexandre Costa Barbosa is a digital policy consultant, associate researcher at the Weizenbaum Institute and a CyberBRICS fellow. He was an expert advisor to the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br and the Brazilian Internet Governance School. Previously, Costa Barbosa was a senior innovation researcher at the Institute for Technology and Society of Rio de Janeiro, where he coordinated research on digital identification in Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition, he is a PhD candidate in the Design of digital public infrastructures at the University of Arts Berlin and holds a master’s degree in sustainable territorial development and a bachelor’s in control and automation engineering. Alexandre has given several lectures and authored articles and policy reports, including DPIs for education in Brazil for CGI.br and as a TEDx speaker on “the decade of digital sovereignty.”
NOMBULELO FAITH LEKOTA
CyberBRICS Researcher
Nombulelo Faith Lekota is a CyberBRICS researcher with a PhD in Computer Science at the University of Johannesburg. Her research focuses on ICT Data Governance, Architecture, Cybersecurity frameworks, and best practice standards. With 20 years of experience in the IT industry, she has worked across various sectors such as Mining, Oil, Banking, Manufacturing, Utilities, Rail, and Aviation. She significantly contributed to the ICAO Africa Indian (AFI) region Planning and Implementation Regional Group (APIRG) project. Nombulelo's contributions to the field are significant and widely recognised. Her publication record and paper citations stand as a testament to her expertise. She has co-authored three papers that have been accepted in reputable conference proceedings. Her achievements were further validated when she was awarded a joint 1st place in the PhD colloquium at The 20th European Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ECCWS 2021), Chester, UK
GERMANO PAULO JOHANSSON NETO
CyberBRICS Researcher
Germano Johansson holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and two master's degrees from the University of Southern California, one in Infrastructure and the other in Public Policy and Planning. Since 2019, he has specialized in internet governance and digital sovereignty. He currently serves as a parliamentary advisor in Brazil's Federal Senate. Germano is currently pursuing a PhD in digital sovereignty at the Institute of Political Science, University of Brasília, focusing on public policy frameworks to strengthen Brazil's digital sovereignty. His research includes mapping opportunities and risks for Brazil's digital sovereignty, analyzing public and private digital infrastructures, and examining technological dependencies, especially in the context of artificial intelligence.
Larissa Chen
State University of Rio de Janeiro
Postgraduate student in Digital Law at UERJ/ITS. Graduated in Law from Ibmec/RJ. Scholarship researcher at the CyberBricks Project at the Center for Technology and Society/FGV, focusing on Chinese legislation related to cyber security, data security, protection of personal information, Chinese civil code and other legislation. Translator of the work "Chinese Civil Code".
MILA SAMDUB
CyberBRICS Researcher
Mila T Samdub is a researcher working on state digital infrastructures and techno-illiberalism in India. He is currently a resident fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School. He previously worked as a curator at Khoj International Artists’ Association in New Delhi, where his practice focused on the intersections of art, activism and technology. He has a research masters from the Yale School of Architecture. His academic and critical writing has been published in various venues including the Caravan, Public Culture, Real Life magazine and Himal Southasian.
VIVIANE FARIAS
CyberBRICS Researcher
Viviane Farias is Ph.D. in System Engineering and Computer Science at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and works as a Data and Analytics Governance Specialist at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV). She is postdoctoral research fellow at Center for Technology and Society (FGV Law School). She received her master’s degree in computer engineering in 2009 from Graduate School of Engineering (COPPE) at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and her Bachelor in information technology from Rio de Janeiro State University in 1997. She is also accumulating activities as a visiting researcher at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (COPPE-UFRJ), where she is involved in research fields such as studying new methods, tools, and techniques in developing Internet of Everything (IoE) solutions, including the flow of knowledge between humans and machines. Before joining FGV, she followed a military career in the Brazilian Navy where over almost 3 decades, she has conducted works related to systems engineering, IT Governance and data governance. Currently, her research interests include Internet of Everything (IoE), data governance ecosystems, human-computer interaction in smart environments, cybersecurity, digital transformation, AI governance and regulation.
ALEXANDER IGNATOV
CyberBRICS Researcher
Alexander Ignatov possesses PhD in Political Science and currently holding the position of a researcher at the Center for International Institutions Research, RANEPA (Moscow). In his research Alexander focuses on global governance issues, multilateral forums agenda (G20, BRICS), and recent trends in the Internet governance system development. With more than 30 research pieces presented up to date, Alexander also carries on duties as a visiting scholar at Higher School of Economics and an executive secretary at “International Organisations Research Journal”.
DANIL KERIMI
CyberBRICS Researcher
Danil Kerimi is an experienced technology and public relations executive with a track record of delivering impactful projects in corporate strategy, national, urban and corporate digital transformation, emerging tech, economic and municipal diplomacy in developed, emerging and frontier markets. Currently, Mr. Kerimi serves on the boards of World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (Seoul), World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva), The Council of the Great Lakes Region (Toronto) and SealSQ (Nasdaq: LAES). Previously, Mr. Kerimi has worked with Amazon Web Services, World Economic Forum and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. He is a graduate of Shandong University (LLB), Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (MA), various executive courses at Columbia, FT, Harvard, INSEAD, MIT, NUS, Wharton and Witwatersrand and is currently completing his doctoral degree at the Technical University of Munich and the Bavarian School of Governance.
Breno Pauli Medeiros
CyberBRICS Researcher
CyberBRICS Researcher. Breno Pauli Medeiros holds a PhD in Military Sciences from the Brazilian Army Command and General Staff College (ECEME), Rio de Janeiro, where he also works as a Post Doctoral Researcher. Breno's research focus revolves around examining the impacts of cyber power and its multifaceted applications within contemporary policy and institutional frameworks. He has contributed significantly to the academic domain with numerous articles and book chapters exploring themes such as cyber diplomacy, security and warfare. Internationally, Breno was honoured with an internationalization scholarship from the CAPES Foundation, enabling him to undertake a portion of his doctoral research as a visiting Research Associate in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. Additionally, he is an alumnus of the Cyber Policy Development program at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Studies in Washington, D.C.
João Pedro Demambro
CyberBRICS Researcher
Graduate student in International Relations at UFF. Researcher at the Laboratorio de Estudos em Política Internacional, focusing on the analysis of the integration of the countries of the Global South into the world market. Former scientific initiation fellow at FAPERJ, studying Brazilian foreign policy towards Mercosur. Currently the Scientific Editor of O Cosmopolítico, journal of the undergraduate program of international relations at UFF.
Sofia Chang
Peking University
Lawyer at UFMG, Master's student at Peking University. She works with privacy and data protection and researches the regulation of technologies, privacy and data protection in China.
AIFANG MA
CyberBRICS Researcher
Dr. Aifang Ma is currently a Boya Postdoctoral Scholar and a Lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University. She obtained her Ph.D in political science at Sciences Po Paris in 2022. She works on the regulation of the digital economy, the antitrust regulation of tech giants, and artificial intelligence. She currently spearheads a comparative research program on the antitrust regulation of tech firms in China, the EU, and the USA. This research program is funded by the Chinese Postdoctoral Science Foundation. She is the Laureate of the Laura Bassi Scholarship in December 2023. She is awarded the Prize of Excellent Teacher at the 23rd Teaching Contest of Young Teachers at Peking University in 2023. In 2024, she published the monograph China as a Double-Bind Regulatory State: How Internet Regulators’ Predicament Produces Regulatees’ Autonomy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024). Her research articles are published in Public Administration, Revue Monde Chinois Nouvelle Asie, Constructif, Modern Publishing, News and Writing, Journal of Tianjin Administration Institute, Twenty-First Century, Mutations, The Conversation, etc.
JAI VIPRA
CyberBRICS Researcher
Jai Vipra is an AI policy researcher with over 8 years of experience in technology policy. She has previously worked at the AI Now Institute, the Centre for the Governance of AI, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, IT for Change, and the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. Jai’s areas of interest are the computational industry, antitrust, digital trade, digital industrialisation, data governance, labour, and platform regulation. Jai completed a Master of Public Policy from the University of Oxford and will soon pursue a PhD in Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University.
AMRITA SENGUPTA
CyberBRICS Researcher
Amrita Sengupta is a Research and Programme Lead at the Centre for Internet and Society, India, where she focuses on research at the intersection of technology and society. Her research interests and work lie in the areas of gender and technology, digital cultures, ethics in research methods, digital access, algorithmic biases and tech design, AI governance, and sustainability and tech. In the past, Amrita has worked in managing and implementing large scale people practices, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, as well as in conducting and leading long-form research on impacts of tech on businesses and society, with both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. She holds an undergraduate degree in sociology from Miranda House, Delhi University and a postgraduate degree in internet studies from the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford.
NATÁLIA COUTO
CyberBRICS Researcher
Natália Couto is a PhD candidate and holds a Master’s degree in Regulatory Law from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV Direito Rio). She completed her LLM in Law, Innovation, and Technology at FGV Direito Rio, where she also served as a teaching assistant. She specializes in contracts and compliance and is a graduate of the Rio de Janeiro State Magistrates School (EMERJ). Natália is a guest lecturer at FGV, where she teaches the course Social Network Regulation. Her research focuses on the regulation of new technologies, cybersecurity, and digital platforms. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Brazilian Cybersecurity Network and also practices as a lawyer. Before joining FGV, she followed a military career in the Brazilian Navy where over almost 3 decades, she has conducted works related to systems engineering, IT Governance and data governance. Currently, her research interests include Internet of Everything (IoE), data governance ecosystems, human-computer interaction in smart environments, cybersecurity, digital transformation, AI governance and regulation.