معرفی
Dr. Suraj Lakhani is an Associate Professor in Sociology and Criminology at the School of Law, Politics and Sociology, University of Sussex. He is an internationally recognized researcher in the fields of violent extremism, online radicalization, and counter-terrorism policy. He holds multiple external affiliations, including Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Research Fellow at VOX-Pol, and Core Member of the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN). He also contributes to the Christchurch Call, GIFCT, and the UK Home Office’s ACE Research Network.
His research interests focus on the gamification of extremism, violent extremism and the internet, radicalisation processes, and counter-terrorism policy, particularly the UK’s Prevent Duty in educational settings. He has published extensively in leading journals and with major publishers like Oxford University Press and Routledge. His recent book, The Sociology of Violent Extremism, offers a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding extremism through sociological lenses.
His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward analyzing digital and gaming environments as spaces for extremist recruitment and identity formation. He increasingly explores the metaverse, gamification mechanics, and online far-right ecosystems, combining empirical analysis with theoretical innovation. His work bridges criminology, sociology, and digital studies.
- Associate Fellow, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
- Research Fellow, VOX-Pol
- Core Member, Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN)
- Ambassador for Women in Games
- Member, Christchurch Call New Technologies Working Group
- Member, GIFCT Gaming Community of Practice
- Member, European Working Group on Radicalization, European Society of Criminology
- Member, UK Home Office ACE Research Network
- Member, Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN), European Commission
Dr. Lakhani has served as Principal Investigator on multiple competitive grants from the Home Office, British Academy, Leverhulme Trust, ESRC, Research England, and the European Commission. His projects examine online terrorist content takedowns, the impact of Prevent Duty in schools, far-right digital ecosystems, and the role of gaming in radicalization. He actively supervises PhD students including Sam Bernard, Mark Peden, and Maddy Clark, and teaches courses such as Terrorism and the Internet (MA), Critical Perspectives on Terrorism, and Thinking Like a Criminologist. He leads interdisciplinary collaborations and knowledge exchange initiatives, including a grant from Swansea University on extremist subcultures.
Dr. Lakhani is a core member of the VOX-Pol leadership team and contributes to the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN), where he helps shape research agendas on digital extremism. His work is highly collaborative, involving international consortia and policy-facing outputs.
