Dr Victoria Baines appointed IT Livery Company Professor of IT

Gresham College, London’s oldest Higher Education Institution, is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Victoria Baines as IT Livery Professor of IT at Gresham College.

Professor Baines is a cybersecurity, digital harms and digital diplomacy specialist who has a wide range of academic, public and private sector experience, from Oxford University to Facebook, and currently provides research expertise to a number of international organisations. 

Professor Baines, who is also a Fellow of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, has published widely on cyber in academic journals and has published a book on the Rhetoric of Insecurity: The Language of Danger, Fear and Safety in National and International Contexts, with a special focus on how cyber threats are communicated to citizens and businesses.

Professor Baines said: “I am thrilled to become the IT Livery Company Professor of IT at Gresham College. Public engagement about cybersecurity and technology is my life’s work, and I hope to use this opportunity to help empower people in their use of technology. Citizens should take their place at the heart of decision-making on cyber issues, from who should own the internet, to how to police it, and how to stop disinformation.”

As professor of IT, Professor Baines will continue the 425-year-old tradition of delivering free lectures aimed at the public within the City of London and beyond. Gresham College live streams lectures online and delivers them to physical audiences in London, with over  8 million views of lectures online last year.  More than 2,500 past lectures are freely available to view on the College’s website. This Professorship of IT was established in 2015. 

Dr Simon Thurley, Provost of Gresham College, said: “We’re thrilled to have Dr Victoria Baines share her expertise on Cybersecurity and Technology policy with us next year. She’s a fantastic communicator and will be a wonderful addition to the College.”

Dr Wendy Piatt, CEO of Gresham College, said: “Cybersecurity is critical at this time and these lectures will shed light on some really key debates around the internet and digital diplomacy.”

Alistair Fulton, Master of the WCIT, sponsors of the IT Professorship, said: “The Worshipful Company of Information Technologists is delighted to welcome Dr Victoria Baines as the third Professor of IT at Gresham.  The Company is proud to sponsor this role which was created in 2015.”