Dr Yung Au awarded ICA outstanding dissertation prize
Congratulations to Dr Yung Au, who has been awarded the Outstanding Dissertation Award 2026 by the Activism, Communication & Social Justice Division of the International Communications Association (ICA).
The award, announced at the ICA's Annual Conference in Cape Town, recognises Dr Au’s DPhil thesis. Titled, “Selling Machine Sentries: An Abolitionist Exploration into the Commodification of Data-Driven State Surveillance”, her thesis examined the export of surveillance commodities from historical centres of power to the rest of the world. This work was supervised by Sneha Krishnan and Phil Howard, and assessed by Prof. Laleh Khalili and Prof. Seeta Peña Gangadharan.
Dr Au's current research continues to explore the elusive supply chains of surveillance technologies that spill across multiple jurisdictions - and even into outer space. Building on her DPhil, this work uses toolkits from critical cartography and abolition to map out the complicated political economy undergirding policing and military processes in today's world.
Dr Yung Au awarded ICA outstanding dissertation prize
Congratulations to Dr Yung Au, who has been awarded the Outstanding Dissertation Award 2026 by the Activism, Communication & Social Justice Division of the International Communications Association (ICA).
