Sophie Bennani-Taylor

Digital Social Science (2023 cohort)

Sophie is a sociologist of technology, focussing on digital identification and related technologies in the fields of international development, migration, and humanitarianism. Her doctoral research at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) examines open-source digital identification systems. Sophie’s DPhil is fully funded by the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership and is supervised by Professor Victoria Nash (OII) and Professor Loren Landau (ODID).

Sophie has conducted freelance research with organisations including UNHCR, the European Centre for Privacy and Cybersecurity, the Minderoo Centre for Technology & Democracy, and Harvard Berkman Klein Centre for Internet & Society. Her expertise lies at the intersection of technology and migration.

Prior to returning to academia, Sophie worked as a Digital Ethics Consultant and co-founded Sopra Steria’s Digital Ethics practice. As a researcher and consultant, Sophie has worked with a range of governmental, private, and non-profit organisations to anticipate and respond to their ethical challenges when working with technology. In 2023, Sophie was recognised as one of Women in AI Ethics (WAIE)’s 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics.

Sophie has a BASc in Arts and Sciences from University College London (UCL) and an MSc in Digital Sociology from the University of Edinburgh.