Signe Sophus Lai

Signe Sophus Lai is an Associate Professor at the Center for Tracking and Society in the Department of Communication, Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen. She is also the co-founder of the Digital Infrastructure Think Tank, focusing on the political economy of digital infrastructures that increasingly underpin modern society's communication, welfare services, and public discourse.

Her educational background includes a Master in Film Studies (2015) and a Bachelor in Film and Media Studies (2012), both from the University of Copenhagen, with additional experience as a visiting student at Boston College in 2011.

Dr. Lai's research sits at the intersection of infrastructure studies, political economy of communication, and critical data studies. She investigates how digital infrastructures—from local networks to submarine fiber cables, software systems, and tracking technologies—are controlled and regulated across different geopolitical contexts, ranging from Nordic welfare states to regimes in Afghanistan and Myanmar. Her work specifically examines infrastructural power in digital societies, datafication and online tracking, digital communication systems and internet regulation, methodological development in digital media research, and sociological media and communication theory. She employs innovative digital methods to trace and analyze the complex relationships between technology, power, and society.

Her publication portfolio reveals a consistent focus on critical infrastructure studies, with particular attention to how digital systems shape and are shaped by political and economic forces. Recent works explore comparative digital communication systems in welfare states, strategies for tracing infrastructural power, and the political economy of mobile communication ecosystems. Her research demonstrates methodological innovation in tracking and analyzing digital infrastructures that operate beneath the surface of everyday digital experiences.

Dr. Lai was honored with the prestigious Tietgen Prize in November 2024, recognizing her significant contributions to critical digital infrastructure research. This award highlights her impact in understanding the complex power dynamics within digital communication systems.

She actively supervises Communication and IT students at both BA and MA levels, teaching courses in media and communication theory, empirical methodologies, digital methods, digital infrastructures and platforms, internet regulation, and project management. Her academic trajectory shows steady progression from PhD Fellow (2017) to Tenure Track Assistant Professor (2021) and upcoming Associate Professor (2025), demonstrating sustained research productivity and academic leadership.

Dr. Lai co-founded and is actively involved with the Digital Infrastructure Think Tank, which serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research on digital infrastructure governance. Her work with this organization connects academic research with policy considerations regarding the critical digital infrastructures that underpin modern society.