Leiden University, Netherlands
I hold undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Political Science and International Relations. A key focus of my degree programmes was on Multilateral Governance and Diplomacy, motivating me to seek traineeships at the Indian Embassy and the OPCW in the Hague. During these engagements, I encountered multiple high-level discussions on the growing role of digital networks in global governance, and the emerging initiatives addressing the accompanying cybersecurity challenges. Inspired to explore this intersection of Digital Networks, Security and Governance in-depth, I opted to pursue a second postgraduate degree in Cybersecurity Governance.
Fellow Report:
As a newcomer to the Digital and Internet Governance arena, EuroSSIG provided me with a comprehensive introduction to the technical and regulatory mechanisms underlying the functioning of the internet, alongside the ethical and security challenges that professionals in this domain consistently encounter. The expert faculty, which included prominent academics, policymakers and industry representatives, ensured that participating fellows were consistently engaged during lectures and were able to grasp complex concepts with ease.
Having an International Relations and Security background, I found the lectures on Geostrategy, Governance of Emerging Technologies and Cybercrime the most fascinating. I also found the consistent reinforcement by the faculty on the distinction between Governance of the Internet and Governance on the Internet, particularly useful as it helped clarify where technical mechanisms take precedence in Internet Governance and where policy decisions play a more dominant role.
An aspect of the summer school that especially stood out to me was the breakout sessions organised post lectures and the consistent availability of the teaching faculty throughout the week (including at social events, meals and excursions), which permitted the participating fellows to delve into free-flowing follow-up and reflective discussions on lecture topics, and also inquire about career advice.
Furthermore, the opportunity to engage with other EuroSSIG participants, who had roots in different parts of the world, and came from diverse sectors and disciplinary backgrounds, ensured that I was able to gather varied and nuanced insights on pertinent topics of Digital Regulations, Human Rights and Technology.
My experience at EuroSSIG was both personally and professionally enriching, and I look forward to sharing and applying the knowledge gained in Meissen in my future endeavours.