Matt Ryan

Professor Matt Ryan is a leading academic in democratic innovations and Web Science at the University of Southampton. As a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow since 2020, he leads the Rebooting Democracy project exploring digital-age civic participation. He founded the Centre for Democratic Futures and serves as Associate Director at the Web Science Institute, focusing on socio-technical systems. Ryan holds visiting positions at Goethe University Frankfurt and the Alan Turing Institute. His research bridges political theory with innovative methods, addressing challenges like minority representation in deliberative processes and AI's role in democracy. He collaborates with governments and NGOs globally, emphasizing Open Science practices.

• Affiliations: Web Science Institute, Centre for Democratic Futures, University of Southampton
• Key Projects: Rebooting Democracy, Participedia Phase Two, Plausible Futures

His work spans participatory budgeting, democratic tech design, and policy implementation. Awards include the Turing Fellowship (2021) and Johanna Quandt Fellowship (2023). Ryan supervises five PhD students and actively engages in interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly on AI ethics in governance and data-driven democracy tools.

Labs/Teams: Centre for Democratic Futures, Web Science Institute labs, and international partnerships with civil society organizations.