Digital Threats to Democracies: A Data Science Approach to Political Communication during Conflict & Crisis

ABOUT THE EVENT

Dr. Pavliuc will outline her research on Ukrainian conflict communication, which sits at the intersection of political communication, gender, and social data science. After introducing structural topic modelling as an emerging method in international relations, she will present findings from a narrative analysis of Ukrainian and international political communication during Russia’s full-scale invasion. Her work aims to push the boundaries of how Russian malign influence and Western countermeasures can be studied through the lens of gender and digital conflict. 

 

Dr. Alexandra Pavliuc is a researcher and affiliate at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, where she recently completed her doctoral thesis on Ukrainian digital diplomacy as a countermeasure to Russian propaganda during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She is also a Senior Data Analyst at Global Affairs Canada, where she leads initiatives to strengthen information integrity and safeguard democracy. Alexandra has delivered more than one hundred talks, training programs, and expert briefings in 16 countries on countering disinformation with data science. Her research on state-backed disinformation and countermeasures has been published in top-tier academic journals as well as by leading think tanks and NGOs.