About
Dr Alex Herasimenka is a Lecturer in Data Science and Communication at the University of Liverpool, where he serves as the Director of the MSc Data Science and Communication programme. His work is at the intersection of computational social science and political communication, with a specific focus on critical approaches to Generative AI harms, platform studies, and online misinformation and computational authoritarian propaganda.
***Research & Policy Impact***
Alex’s research investigates how state actors and pressure groups leverage Generative AI and social media to manipulate public opinion and how their actions reshape the global information ecology. Applying computational social science methods, he studies how reliance on digital technologies affects political expression, civic organising, advocacy, and electoral campaigning.
His recent research focuses on the cases of the political weaponisation of messaging platforms, such as Telegram, political expression in authoritarian contexts like China and Russia, and digital resilience in post-conflict societies, such as Ukraine.
Alex actively collaborates with civil society organisations, tech platforms, and policymakers to develop evidence-based solutions to online harms and digital disinformation.
***Public Scholarship & Media***
A frequent commentator on AI policy and digital platforms, Alex’s research has been featured in numerous leading media outlets,, including the New York Times, BBC, the Washington Post, and Wired. He welcomes media inquiries and speaking invitations regarding AI policy, disinformation campaigns, and Eastern European politics.
***Teaching and Supervision***
At Liverpool, he serves as the Director of the Data Science and Communication Master’s Programme that bridges the gap between emerging computational technologies and societal challenges. His teaching specialism is computational social science, Generative AI, AI policy and geopolitics, and political communication. He teaches such courses as Communication and AI, Big Data and Society, and Introduction to Data Science.
Alex welcomes inquiries from prospective PhD students covering these topics.
***Earlier Career***
Alex was previously Director of Research at the Programme on Democracy and Technology at University of Oxford and a Fellow at the Oxford Martin School. He taught accross Oxford's Department of Politics and International Relations and the School of Global and Area Studies, as well as St Catherine’s College and St Anthony’s College. He also held appointments at UCL, Middlesex University, and University of Portsmouth.
His academic focus on misinformation, authoritarian propaganda, and political mobilizations is rooted in his earlier career as a practitioner in Eastern Europe. Transitioning from the IT sector to journalism, he served as the editor of a leading regional media outlet. His international development work encompassed election monitoring and trans-border mobility advocacy. A former Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, he also served as Secretary of the Board for several international NGOs.