Caragh secured a LINAS award to commence her studies in October 2023. Her research will concentrate on the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence in unmanned aerial systems, specifically focused on the governance and regulation of drones in the domain of warfare.

Her research seeks to address the ethical and legal issues concerning the utilisation of AI unmanned aerial systems in warfare, including surveillance, privacy, and accountability through the development of an effective regulatory framework.

Caragh was drawn to the LINAS programme while completing her LLM in Law and Technology. She feels the interdisciplinary aspect of LINAS is intriguing as it combines several disciplines, from computer science to law, to address the rapid evolution of technology and the impact it creates for contemporary society. She is thrilled to be joining a programme that creates a forum for students and academics from various disciplines to learn and encourage each other in the endeavour of addressing implications and discovering solutions that innovative technologies present in modern society. 

Caragh will be supervised by Dr Pratyush Nath Upreti (Law) and Dr Vishal Sharma (EEECS) 

Caragh stated, “I am delighted to be awarded the Leverhulme Interdisciplinary Network on Algorithmic Solutions (LINAS) Doctoral Scholarship. My project explores the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence in unmanned aerial systems, specifically focused on the governance and regulation of drones in the domain of warfare. Within this context, my interest is to examine ethical and legal issues concerning the utilisation of AI unmanned aerial systems in warfare, including surveillance, privacy, and accountability, through the development of an effective regulatory framework.” 

Dr Upreti said, “Caragh's research project is timely, relevant, and responsive to the emerging need to examine and evaluate the use of unmanned aerial systems in warfare. The project has the potential to contribute to scholarship and shape policy debates at national and international levels. We are excited to welcome her to the Law school and very much looking forward to supervising Caragh.” 

We welcome PhD applications from prospective students. Further details on how to apply can be found at https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofLaw/study/postgraduate-research/