DERC Researchers Ellie Rennie and Ramon Lobato awarded ARC Future Fellowships

October 22, 2019

We are very excited by the news that both Ellie Rennie and Ramon Lobato have been awarded ARC Future Fellowships!

Ellie Rennie’s project aims to show the social consequences of using distributed ledger technology, including blockchains, for compliance, registries and regulatory processes. The project expects to generate new knowledge of how technology is changing administrative coordination between government and non-government entities. Expected outcomes include evidence of how blockchain technology is being applied to specific tasks and whether this improves on legacy systems. In addition to advancing social research on technological change, the project should provide benefits such as fairer strategies for effective regulation through technology, and an understanding of how these technologies in turn should be governed.

Ramon Lobato’s project aims to investigate the cultural impacts of smart TVs in Australia. A majority of Australian adults now use an internet-connected (smart) TV set or streaming device, fundamentally changing the way content is discovered, accessed and experienced. This project expects to advance policy knowledge of the smart TV platforms built into these devices; their effects on public access; and how they structure users’ viewing choices. Expected outcomes of the project include improved understanding of the cultural, consumer and competition implications of emerging television technologies. Expected benefits include informed decision-making and improved policy options for government, consumers, public-service media and local screen industries.

Stay tuned for further updates on these new projects!