Spotlight on... Jesse Sowell

What is your role and what does it involve?

I am a Lecturer in Internet Governance and Policy in the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Public Policy (STEaPP) – I have been promoted to Associate Professor effective 1 October. This year I am leading our MPA Route in Digital Technologies and Policy and the Digital Technology and Policy Lab (DTPL). I teach our first route-specific module, Foundations in Digital Technologies and Policy in Term 1 and one of our electives, Data Science and Visualization for Complex Systems in Term 2. Not surprisingly, in the departmental I work to improve interdisciplinary education and mixed methods approach to research design and fieldwork. My research specialisations include Internet infrastructure operations and security; transnational governance; and mixed methods data science and visualisation, especially for communicating the dynamics of complex systems to non-technical audiences.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?

I came to STEaPP in June 2022 as a Lecturer. Previously I was an Assistant Professor of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. At the Bush School I designed and led the Cyber Policy Concentration in the Department of International Affairs.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

The working achievements and initiatives I am most proud of are my engagement with Internet operations and security communities. These transnational communities of engineers and technicians are the people that make sure the global Internet stays glued together in a secure and stable way, ensuring the infrastructure we rely on for our day-to-day social and economic activities functions as we expect. I am really privileged to work with so many brilliant individuals around the globe to understand how truly complex and dynamic the governance of this infrastructure is.

Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list

I have two projects that are currently at the top of my list that I am really excited about: mapping Internet eXchange (IX) topologies and a project on Digital Rights and Internet Measurement I will be working on with a new PhD student.

IXes are regional facilities where networks interconnect to exchange Internet traffic, ultimately improving the quality and performance of regional Internet connectivity. The IX topology project is looking at the geographic reach of IX connectivity and markets for infrastructure services around the world, from small IXes that serve single metropolitan areas to subregional and global IX platforms. This work is really exciting because it helps us better understand the local conditions shaping Internet connectivity, the ongoing challenges of the digital divide, and the infrastructure-level barriers to developing knowledge economies, especially in developing and historically less-connected regions.

The Digital Rights and Internet Measurement project focuses on using Internet measurement data to better understand network interference, typically framed as Internet censorship, the scope, scale, and magnitude of these events, how political actors in different regimes use these information control strategies, and their longer-term political efficacy. Typically, work in this area focuses on large, well-publicised events, such as recent network interference events in Myanmar. That said, network interference occurs around the world, at varying scales, impacting the daily lives of Internet users from all walks of life. This project aims to better characterise these events in their political context by not only unlocking existing repositories of technical network interference data, but also mobilising the knowledge and experience of digital rights organisations on the ground to understand the local and regional impact of network interference that often flies under the radar. In addition to these sociotechnical components of this work, the mixed methods and visualisation approaches in this work have the potential for significant impact. We are also aiming to use these analyses and visualisations to help make critical measurement data, often only accessible to technical experts, more accessible to local, regional, and global digital rights organisations and more broadly to governments and international organisations.

What is your favourite album, film and novel?

One of my all-time favorite albums is Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis. It is an amazing fusion of Latin and Jazz influences, and it is my absolute go-to for a chill, relaxing piece of music. In general I’m a big fan of jazz, classic rock, and ambient electronica.

I don’t really have a favorite film. I am a big Star Trek fan. Like a lot of Trekkies I love the aspirational character of the ideas and values espoused by the Star Trek series: the focus on cooperation, helping others, embracing and understanding diversity, embracing the pursuit of knowledge as a value, and exploration. I firmly believe we need more of these positive aspirational values in our media and culture.

One of my favorite novels is Dan Simmons’ Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion. It is a fantastically in-depth depiction of the far future, and for its time, it was exceptionally prescient on technologies we take for granted in modern life, such as access to information and AI. Like all sci-fi fans, Asimov’s Foundation series is a classic favorite.

Who would be your dream dinner guests?

One of my dream dinner guests would be Vint Cerf. I have had the privilege of meeting him through my research and he is one of the most thoughtful, engaging people I have ever met. Not only is he one of the inventors of the Internet, but he is exceptionally generous with his knowledge and time. His work on early Internet technology and later on sustaining the positive, constructive ideals of global communication are genuinely inspiring.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Although very common, I think “don’t sweat the small stuff” and focusing on big picture goals would have been exceptionally useful. It is easy for “bottom-up” thinkers like myself, passionate about how technology and institutions work, to get caught up in the technical details, becoming engrossed in fixing a software bug or the details of a case narrative. Those details are important, but keeping sight of the bigger picture and the overall impact of projects is much more important, and will pay off in the long run.

What would it surprise people to know about you?

Most people know I like to cook, but many don’t know I also like to make beer. I like making beer for the obvious reasons, but also because the process is like cooking, and a really fantastic mix of science, craft, and creativity. Another aspect of this hobby is that many of the techniques have not changed for hundreds of years – these “low-tech” hands-on processes are fun and relaxing, and you get a delicious (most of the time) result!

What is your favourite place?  

I really love the Blue Ridge Mountains (part of the Appalachian Highlands) around the border of North and South Carolina in the US. I hiked a lot of this region when I was an undergraduate and it is a beautifully forested area full of mountain lakes, streams, and waterfalls. Jumping into a cold stream to cool down in the middle of a hot summer hike is quite possibly one of the best feelings in the world. Some of my favorite hikes are around Whiteside Mountain, Sliding Rock, and Highlands, NC.