Sangeeta Mahapatra

Dr. Sangeeta Mahapatra is a Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for Asian Studies, part of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA). Her academic journey includes visiting faculty roles at Indian universities like Presidency University and Diamond Harbour Women's University, as well as a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Fellowship at Ohio State University. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in International Relations from Jadavpur University and a B.A. (Honors) in Political Science from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta.

Her research focuses on

• Geopolitics of Technology
• Digital Authoritarianism
• Disinformation and Cyber Resilience
• AI Governance
• Hybrid Threats
• Political Campaigning in Digital Spaces

Dr. Mahapatra has contributed to projects like the Digital Transformation Lab (DigiTraL) and Mapping Civil Society Responses to Disinformation, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and NED. She actively engages in policy advice, media commentary, and international dialogues on digital governance, cybersecurity, and AI ethics.

Her articles and media contributions address topics such as cyber resilience strategies, AI regulation in emerging economies, and the weaponization of anti-fake news laws. She teaches Comparative Politics and Digital Repression at the University of Hamburg and collaborates with institutions like the Heinrich Böll Foundation and SWP on defense and democratic resilience initiatives.