Stefania Milan

Stefania Milan is Professor of Critical Data Studies at the University of Amsterdam’s Department of Media Studies. She holds affiliations as Research Associate at the Florence School of Transnational Governance (European University Institute) and Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society (Harvard University). Her work bridges political participation, digital technology, and governance, emphasizing digital infrastructure and political agency through interdisciplinary research.

Research Interests:

• Data activism and grassroots engagement with data infrastructure
• Contentious politics of data and alternative data epistemologies
• Datafication and surveillance at societal margins
• Algorithmic counter-imaginaries and techno-solutionism
• Emergence of governance by data infrastructure

Scientific Awards:

• ERC Advanced Grant (DATAGOV) - 2024-2029
• ERC Proof of Concept Grant (ALEX) - 2018-2020
• ERC Starting Grant (DATACTIVE) - 2015-2021
• Excellent Teaching Award, University of Lucerne - 2008-2009
• Excellent Young Researcher in Communication Award, UNESCO/IAMCR - 2004

Projects & Leadership:

• Principal Investigator, Citizenship and Standard-Setting in Digital Networks (IN-SIGHT) - NWO Grant MVt.19.032
• Co-Principal Investigator, e-LADDA - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant 857897
• Co-founder, Big Data from the South Research Initiative - 2017
• Leader of the DATACTIVE Ideas Lab consultancy agency