Albert Sharra

Dr. Albert Sharra is a Joint-postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand and University of Edinburgh, and an Honorary Fellow in the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh. His academic work spans digital culture, political activism, criminology, and media studies with a strong focus on African contexts. He also serves as an Affiliate at Edinburgh's Centre for Data, Culture & Society, Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities (IASH), and Affiliate at the Edinburgh Futures Institute's Media & Communications Cluster.

Dr. Sharra's research falls within two main areas: 'digital culture, society and the state' examining how technologies transform political activism and state responses through policing and surveillance; and journalism/media culture focusing on technological transformations in Global South media. His work includes building the first comprehensive dataset of policing in Malawi since 1953 and editing a Special Issue on Digital State Surveillance of Political Activists in Africa for the Journal of Southern African Studies. His research interests encompass digital citizenship, online victimization, criminology in online spaces, and the future of journalism in Africa.

His recent publications reveal a strong focus on BBC's legacy in African broadcasting, digital political activism in Southern Africa, and transformations in African newsrooms. The research demonstrates an interdisciplinary approach connecting digital sociology, political science, media studies, and criminology with particular attention to postcolonial contexts and decolonial frameworks. His work often employs comparative analysis across multiple African countries including Malawi, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Uganda.

• IASH Susan Manning Grant at Edinburgh (2024)
• Joe Ebrahim Prize for Best Honours Dissertation (awarded to student)
• Multi-award-winning journalist with decade of newsroom experience

Dr. Sharra actively supervises PhD and Master's students across institutions, with current advisees researching digital finance and women empowerment, philanthropic humanitarianism, fact-checking in Africa, political transitions, and cold war diplomacy. He has secured over €65,000 in professional development grants for African journalists through partnerships with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Friedrich Naumann Foundation, training over 500 media personnel across multiple African countries. His current projects include examining the Universal Periodic Review mechanism for human rights monitoring and investigating 'Tech companies and compensation for traditional media'.