Organisers/Hosts: Vili Lehdonvirta, Philipp Riederle
Sessions: Tuesdays, 1–2pm (UK time), during Oxford term time, via Zoom
Participation: Open to researchers and students from any university or research institution. Please apply here if you would like to join the seminar sessions.
Trinity Term 2026
- Week 1: Tue 28 Apr 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Silvia Weko, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
“From Big Oil to Big Tech: the power of cloud giants in sustainability transitions” - Week 2: Tue 5 May 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Konrad Kollnig, Maastricht University
“Geopolitics of the App Economy” - Week 3: Tue 12 May 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Kunhan Li, Aalto University
“Competitive Infrastructuralism in Lunar Exploration: U.S.-China Competition and the Fragmentation of Space Governance” - Week 4: Tue 19 May 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Ivan Khomyanin, Tilburg University & Jens Prüfer, Tilburg University and University of East Anglia
“From Economic Power to Political Power” - Week 5: Tue 26 May 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Kathleen Thelen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology & JS Tan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“Cloud Computing and AI Diffusion: Divergent Trajectories in the United States, Europe, and China” - Week 6: Tue 2 Jun 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Dr. Gregory Falco, Cornell University
“Submarine data cables and satellites” (Title tbc) - Week 7: Tue 9 Jun 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Hannah-Sophie Weber, University of Oxford & Lars Gjesvik, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
“Trust Doesn’t Scale: Mapping Initiatives to Secure Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI)” - Week 8: Tue 16 Jun 2026, 1–2pm UK / 3–4pm Finland / 8–9am Eastern
Vili Lehdonvirta, Aalto University
“Why do governments offshore critical IT capabilities? A cost economic theory with international relations implications”
About the Oxford–Aalto Digital Economic Security Seminar
Today’s economies are critically dependent on transnational digital platforms and infrastructures. Platforms are shaped by economic forces but increasingly also by governments’ security interests, while large technology companies have themselves emerged as powerful actors in global politics. The Oxford–Aalto Digital Economic Security Seminar brings together emerging research on the political economy and governance of transnational digital platforms and infrastructures, broadly understood. The virtual seminar is hosted by Professor Vili Lehdonvirta and doctoral researcher Philipp Riederle at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, and the Department of Computer Science, Aalto University. The seminar has been running continuously since 2016 and was originally titled the Oxford Platform Economy Seminar.