Albert E. Sharra

Background

About Albert E. Sharra

Albert Sharra is a multi-disciplinary scholar who conducts research on technologies, Society and the State. My split-site PhD involved spending 3 years at Wits University and the fourth year at the University of the Edinburgh. This was enabled by the partnership between the two universities and Commonwealth Scholarship funding. My teaching and research work cover Digital Culture, Society, Media and the State. I have lectured and tutored at Wits University and University of Edinburgh for a combined period of 5 years. At Wits, for six consecutive semesters(July 2019-Jun 2023), I taught Comparative Politics(SM1) and Conflict, Stability & State Building in Postcolonial Africa (SM2). At the University of Edinburgh, 4 modules: Politics and International Relations: Concepts and Debates (UG) with Dr Patrick Theiner, Key Skills in Development Practice(PG-Masters) with Dr Barbara Bompani, Interpreting Development: Institutions and Practices (PG-Masters) with Dr Gerhard Anders and Research Design and Practice (PG-Masters) with Dr Amir Anwar. I have experience in both teaching and supervising tutors. I served as a Senior Tutor in the department of Political Studies at Wits University in 2021 and received a certificate in teaching and supervision. I have raised over €65 for research and trainings and coordinated projects which have seen more than 500 media personnel, activists and politicians being trained in Africa. I also won the 2023-24 Susan Manning Grant awarded by University of Edinburgh’s IASH for my surveillance project which is on contract with JSAS. I have won several international fellowships and presented papers at international forums in Germany, Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, UK, USA, and RSA. While doing my PhD(2019-23) I authored 11 peer-reviewed articles (outside of my PhD) and provided commentary on political issues. My monograph (PhD work) with the Oxford University Press is under review. I have received several scholarships and they include the KAS Media Africa Scholarship 2017, UNICAF Scholarship 2019, Canon Collins Trust Scholarship 2019, Wits University Postgraduate PhD Merit Award 2019, Wits PhD Fellowship 2021 and Commonwealth Scholarship 2021. Prior to these, I spent 10 years in the newsroom, and won the most coveted award, MISA Overall Best Journalist of the Year Award for 3 times in 2016, 2017 and 2019. I have published tens of news articles and provided opinions on African politics in top media houses.