My name is Noran Fouad and I am a Lecturer in Digital Politics in the Department of History, Politics and Philosophy at Manchester Met. I started my academic career working as an Assistant Lecturer of Political Science at Cairo University. After finishing my PhD in International Relations at the University of Sussex, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, where I co-designed executive education courses on digital governance and cybersecurity.

I have created journal articles for the Journal of Cyber Policy; Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance; and Review of International Studies, and I have published multiple papers focussing on cybersecurity and cyberspace.

My research has a particular focus on cybersecurity.

Tell us about the focus of your research

My research lies at the intersection of technology, security, and governance, with a particular focus on cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is generally defined as the security of computers, networks, data, and the humans interacting with and operating in ‘cyberspace’.

How does your research fit in with real-world politics?

Given the exponential rise in the number of cyber attacks against governments, businesses, and individuals around the world, and our increasing dependence on digital technologies in every aspect of modern life, cybersecurity has risen in prominence on the security agenda of states and non-sate actors, and now constitutes an integral part of policy and academic discussions on contemporary security and insecurity. It is no longer possible to envision successful digitalisation processes in any society, industry, or field, without considering cybersecurity risks and mitigation strategies.

However, cybersecurity is not merely a technical issues; it is as political as it is technical. In our master’s programme, we focus on the political stakes and policy challenges of cybersecurity and how it intersects with the complex facets of international security and our own security and privacy as end-users of digital technologies.

Cybersecurity is one of our key research streams, we focus on politics stakes and policy challenges.

Why did you choose this topic of research?

I’m interested in critical approaches to the study of cybersecurity in International Relations that explore the security of the everyday and the ostensibly ‘mundane’ in cybersecurity; unpack the co-production of cybersecurity politics and practices between human and non-human agency; and develop interdisciplinary theoretical and conceptual frameworks to cybersecurity that engage with questions and debates in other sub-fields of international relations and security studies.

How does your research inform postgraduate study at Manchester Met?

Cybersecurity is one of our key research streams in the International Relations and Global Communications master’s programme. During the course of your study, you could have sessions as part of your modules that introduce you to the topic of cybersecurity and the global cyber threat landscape, the contentious nature of cybersecurity around the world, and the various policy challenges that explain why cyberspace is becoming less secure even though information technologies are constantly improving.

Students learn about cyber conflict and cyber warfare, cybersecurity strategies and human security.

What can students expect to learn from you?

Possible routes of study include cyber conflict and cyber warfare, cybersecurity strategies of various countries, and their implications on human security. You should also get the chance to learn about new cybersecurity areas of research in a five-week masterclass, such as ‘cyberbiosecurity’, which explores the cybersecurity threats resulting from the digitisation of biology and life sciences.

All these issues are closely connected to other topics in digital politics that you will engage with in this programme, such as surveillance capitalism and data privacy, internet governance, disinformation and propaganda, and digital activism, among others.

Find out more about MA International Relations and Global Communications.