Sebastián Lehuedé

Technology & Social Justice

About

Career

I currently work as a Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor) in Ethics, AI and Society in the Department of Digital Humanities at King’s College London. You can access my KCL web profile here.

Previously, I worked as a postdoc at the Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CGHR), University of Cambridge (2021-2023).

I obtained a PhD in Data, Networks and Society from the Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). My doctoral thesis received the 2022 Dissertation Award from the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR).

Expertise

My research examines digital technologies from a social and environmental justice perspective. My primary aim is to centre the needs and visions of groups excluded from the design, development and governance of technology.

My current project, AI’s Nature, explores the connection between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and environmental justice. In this work, I have engaged with urban, rural (campesino) and Indigenous communities in Chile and Colombia mobilising against a data centre project and lithium extraction and participating in a AI-supported conservation initiative.

My previous project, Scientific Data Colonialism, investigated the governance of astronomy data in Chile. For this, I proposed a framework based on autonomía that addresses the limitations of open data and data sovereignty.

My work combines decolonial thought, science and technology studies (STS) and political ecology. I have contributed to conceptual development on AI ethics, digital colonialism, data friction and digital sovereignty. I employ ethnographic methods with an empirical focus on Latin America.

I have organised the following conferences and workshops:

Affiliations & Memberships

Since March 2026, I have been a Co-Lead and Co-Founder of Digital X Climates, an interdisciplinary network dedicated to advancing research, dialogue and public engagement on the entanglements of digital technologies with environmental, social and political ecologies,

Since 2024, I have been part of the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE). This is a Switzerland-based independent and global science organisation that provides scientific knowledge about the health of the world’s information environment.

At the University of Cambridge, I am affiliated with the Centre of Governance and Human Rights (CGHR) and the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy (MCTD).

I am part a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Environmental Media, a scholarly platform to bridge work in environmental studies, identity and social justice, and science communication.

I am also part of Tierra Común, a group of academics and civil society advocates fighting for digital and data justice.

Previously, I was a Technology and Human Rights fellow at the Carr Center, Harvard University (2022-2024). I was also affiliated with the Future of Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) group formed by three Chilean universities (2022-2024).

impact

A great deal of my work has consisted of supporting just and sustainable digital technologies.

I regularly deliver talks at non-academic venues, such as UN agencies (UN Human Rights and UNCTAD), as well as NGOs and private companies across different sectors and industries.

I have been featured in stories by media outlets such as the Associated Press (AP) in the United States and Deutsche Welle (DW) in Germany. I have also been interviewed on podcasts such as Tech Won’t Save Us and The Good Robot.

I am an active member and supporter of the Just Cloud Network, a global initiative initiated by MOSACAT in Santiago, Chile. The network comprises communities, activists, academics, and journalists concerned about the impacts of data centres. This initiatibve obtained a grant from AHRC Impact Acceleration Account provided by King’s College London.

You can see a full list of my engagements with non-academic groups and organisations here.

Beyond my personal contributions, I also advocate for impact among colleagues as Impact Co-Lead at the Department of Digital Humanities. For this, I provide technical expertise, promote recognition and allocate resources to support deep and sustained engagement with non-academic partners. Additionally, I contribute to our submission for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and undertook Impact Leadership training led by external consultants at King’s College London.

Teaching

I have taught at King’s College London, University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

I have designed two modules:

  • Technology and Global Social Justice at the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), University of Cambridge (syllabus available here).
  • At King’s College London, I co-designed the module Media, Technology and the Environment with Dr Güneş Tavmen.

Since April 2026, I am a Fellow at AdvanceHE, a UK-based charity that works to improve higher education for staff, students and society.