Hello, lexophiles!
Welcome to my blog! I’ve been itching to write lately, and what better way to satisfy the craving than to expand the TSL site to include a blog. A space to showcase my published writing, both in my personal capacity (research and op-eds) and a some creative assignments for clients. Happy reading!
Writing Portfolio
Research publications
In 2011, while completing an interdisciplinary, 2-year professional Master’s degree in International Security on a French government scholarship at Sciences Po Paris, I submitted an article on oil conflict in the Niger Delta, focusing on the nexus between human rights, corporate social responsiblity and environmental rights, for publication in ACCORD’s quarterly Conflict Trends publication. ACCORD (African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes) is one of the continent’s foremost peacekeeping and peacebuilding non-profit organisations.
In 2020, while employed as a Project and Research Officer at APCOF (African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes) in Cape Town, I published a research paper consisting of guidelines for South Africa’s newly appointed Information Regulator on the ethical use of surveillance technologies for the South African Police Service (SAPS) and privacy and criminal legislation considerations.
In the same year, I submitted an article on disarmament for an African Union publication on rights-based policing (African Commission: Human Rights and Policing newsletter). You can check out my research publications below.
https://apcof.org/wp-content/uploads/achpr-newsletter-14_book_rev-web1.pdf
Journalism/ Opinion
Thanks to the publication of my APCOF Research Series paper, ‘Collateral Intrusion: Safeguarding Privacy in an Age of Surveillance | Guidelines for South Africa’s Information Regulator’, I was invited to publish an op-ed for the Daily Maverick, South Africa’s foremost investigative journalism newspaper, which in turn led to an invitation to speak on the topic on Cape Talk’s ‘Tech Tuesday’ feature.
You can check out my op-ed and radio interview below. The radio interview is unfortunately no longer available online.
Creative writing and learning design
In 2022, I was commission by Kinnu, a London-based, innovative learning application using the latest in cognitive science and learning design, to research and write two 20 000-word “learning pathways”. It was an opportunity to combine my love of research with my flair for creative writing, tied together nearly in a learning design format. I absolutely loved working on this project!
- I had the great privilege of writing one of Kinnu’s first-ever learning pathways, which delves into the mysteries of the gut microbiome. This pathway, entitled A Guide to the Incredible Gut Microbiome, takes you on an interdisciplinary journey into the fields of microbiology, epidemiology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, genetics and nutrition, to uncover the key to health and happiness. You can read my writing here: https://kinnu.xyz/kinnuverse/science/gut-microbes-and-nutrition/
- The second pathway, entitled Superpower Learning: The Science of Learning, plunges into the fascinating world of cognitive psychology and learning science. The science of learning combines data, practices and research from a diverse range of disciplines, including cognitive neuroscience, data science, learning analytics, behavioral economics and educational psychology.You can check it out here: https://kinnu.xyz/kinnuverse/psychology/superpower-learning/the-first-principles-of-learning/
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