Jeffrey Howard

Jeffrey Howard is a Professor of Political Philosophy and Public Policy at University College London (UCL), holding appointments in the Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy. He also has an affiliate role in the Department of Philosophy. His research focuses on digital public sphere governance, free speech in the digital age, counter-extremism, and criminal justice ethics. He directs the Digital Speech Lab, funded by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, which synthesizes philosophy, law, computer science, and political science to address online speech challenges.

Howard earned a DPhil from Oxford University and an AB from Harvard University. He has held visiting roles at the University of Southern California and Australian National University, and is a Senior Research Associate at the Oxford Institute for Ethics in AI. His awards include the UKRI Future Leader Fellowship, British Academy Rising Star, and Berger Memorial Prize.

Teaching highlights include leadership ethics training for UK Treasury civil servants and courses on political philosophy, public policy ethics, and global justice. He has twice won UCL’s Outstanding Faculty Teaching Prize. His current monograph, under contract with Princeton University Press, explores free speech in the digital era.

Research collaborations engage industry, civil society, and policymakers. The Digital Speech Lab addresses dilemmas balancing free expression with harm prevention, emphasizing principles for private and public regulation of online communication.