Visiting FellowDr. Olga Ustyuzhantseva
Leading Scholar in Innovation Policy, Digital Governance, and Sustainable Development
An affiliated Senior Research Fellow at the Trilateral Chair on Transformative Innovation and the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) for Sustainable Development at the University of Johannesburg. She is involved in international research projects and works at the intersection of innovation policy, digital governance, climate change, and sustainable development. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence governance, digital public infrastructure, data governance, innovation policy, and the political economy of technological transformation, with particular attention to India, South Africa, and the Global South. Across this work, she examines how technological change is shaped by institutions, development priorities, and broader social and political contexts.
Dr. Olga holds a PhD in History and a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology, which inform her interdisciplinary approach to technology, institutions, and society. Her research has addressed questions of digital sovereignty, inclusive innovation, climate and energy transitions, and the governance of emerging technologies. Dr. Olga has also worked extensively on issues related to environmental change, community vulnerability, and sustainable development in India, South Africa, as well as in the Arctic and post-Soviet contexts. She has published on science, technology, and innovation policy, digital transformation, and international development, and has contributed to academic, policy, and public discussions on these issues. Dr. Olga Ustyuzhantseva's work combines scholarly analysis with a strong interest in institution-building, policy relevance, and socially grounded forms of knowledge production.