Adam Harkens

Adam Harkens is a Lecturer in Public Law at the University of Strathclyde. He holds a PhD in Law from Queen's University Belfast, funded by the Leverhulme Interdisciplinary Network on Cybersecurity and Society (LINCS). His research focuses on the intersection of public power, digital decision-making tools, and constitutionalism, addressing issues like algorithmic policing, surveillance, and AI governance. He is a founding member of the Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training (SCDT) in Human Rights-Based Decision-Making and the LEADS Lab at the University of Birmingham.

Teaching includes modules on constitutional law, administrative law, and digital regulation at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Professional activities include advising bodies like the Office for AI and the Dutch Raad van State. He co-leads the SCDT project (2023–2027) and contributed to the FATAL4JUSTICE? Programme (2019–2022). His upcoming monograph, The Algorithmic State: Power, Constitutionalism and the Future of Administrative Law, explores these themes further.

Research interests emphasize preventing power abuse via algorithmic systems, engaging legal theory, human rights, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Recent projects include workshops on predictive policing regulation and EU AI accountability frameworks.