Congratulations to Samuel Gregory on successfully passing his PhD Viva

Congratulations to Dr Samuel Gregory for successfully passing his PhD VIVA without corrections for his PhD by Published Work titled: “From Social Media to Deepfakes: Participatory human rights witnessing and advocacy using audiovisual media, incorporating the emerging impacts of deceptive AI and technologies for authenticity and trust (2007-22)”.

Reflecting on his achievement, Sam shared: “I’m delighted to have completed my PhD by Publication. I really appreciated the opportunity to synthesize and reflect on research and learning across the past decade, and am particularly grateful for the insights and support of Graham Meikle.”

Director of Studies, Prof Graham Meikle commented: “Sam is an absolutely first-rate researcher and communicator, and it was a tremendous pleasure and privilege to supervise his doctorate. I learn something new every time I talk to Sam, and I look forward to following his future work.”

Prof Stuart Allan (Cardiff University), External Examiner, praised the portfolio of publications submitted by Sam: “Each of the items is highly perceptive in its investigation, delving into complex issues with a critical eye, alert to subtly and nuance, and rich with compelling insights. The items amount to a very impressive resource, particularly for scholars intent on acquiring a deeper understanding of lived cultures of activism in human rights contexts, particularly where digital technologies are recasting the power dynamics of solution-making. The overall quality is, in a word, exemplary”.

Internal Examiner Dr Pieter Verdegem (CAMRI) noted: “After having read Sam Gregory’s commentary and portfolio, which together form the submission of the PhD by publication thesis, I can only say that I learned so much from the materials provided and I’m convinced that there is a clear contribution from the author at theoretical/conceptual and methodological/empirical level. In addition to this, the relevance and impact of the research presented on policy discussions and practice is very clear. The work is highly original, very timely and super relevant in the rapidly evolving media and technology environment, alongside a political landscape that is characterised by a shift towards polarisation and authoritarianism.”

We extend our best wishes to Sam for continued success in his future endeavours!