Sandy’s current research examines questions that pertain to the interplay between technology and hate (crime or speech), extremism, as well as radicalisation. She takes an interdisciplinary approach and work in the borderlands of communication science, social psychology, and terrorism studies. She is also passionate about meta-research, improving research methods and analyses procedures in terrorism studies. In the past, she studied risk factors of radicalisation more broadly, computer-mediated intergroup contact, and online collective action.
Sandy is keen to translate my research into policy and practice. Doing so, she has advised governments (e.g., UK Commission on Countering Extremism, UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development) and collaborate with civil society organisations to conduct impact evaluations. She is also a member of the Online Harms Steering Committee of the London Violence Reduction Unit.