Margie Cheesman

Dr. Margie Cheesman is a Lecturer in Digital Economy at King's College London's Department of Digital Humanities, within the Faculty of Arts & Humanities. She holds a PhD from the Oxford Internet Institute (2022) and is a Research Affiliate at the University of Cambridge's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy. Her research focuses on digitalization in humanitarian aid, asylum, welfare, and migration governance, using ethnographic methods to explore global governance dynamics. Current projects include a book on digital financial aid transformations (based on fieldwork in Jordan) and the 'Shadows of the Digital Economy' initiative examining informal livelihood strategies of non-citizens.

She is Co-Investigator on the Bosch Foundation-funded 'Identity and Migration' project investigating digital identity systems in migration. Teaching emphasizes bridging macro-digital economy theories with micro-lived experiences, particularly around ethnography, finance, borders, and humanitarian aid. Margie collaborates with organizations like Swansea Asylum Support and contributes to initiatives such as the UN Global Digital Compact. Her work critiques digital innovations targeting marginalized groups, advocating for equity in technological governance.

Research outputs include seminal articles on blockchain in humanitarian payments (Geopolitics), digital identity frameworks (Big Data & Society), and refugee smartphone use (Social Media + Society). She serves on editorial boards and participates in networks like the Surveillance Studies Network and STS-MigTec.