Staff Profile

Rebecca is a legal researcher on the ESPRC-funded Agency: Assuring Citizen Agency in a World with Complex Online Harms multidisciplinary project at Newcastle University. In which she works with Prof. Ben Farrand to deliver the legal and ethical work package.

Rebecca joined Newcastle Law School in September 2022, bringing a passion for interdisciplinary research. She is in the final stages of her PhD in Law at the University of Liverpool, where she also earned her LLM (with Distinction) and LLB (Hons). Her research has garnered numerous accolades, including the University of Liverpool's Certificate of Excellence in 2019, the John Lennon Memorial Scholarship for her master's project and the Sir Joseph Rotblat Alumni Scholarship for her doctoral research. An award from the FFWG has also supported Rebecca's doctoral research.

Research Overview

Rebecca's interdisciplinary research interests explore the interaction of law with emerging technologies such as Cyber Law, Biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence. She is interested in exploring empirical approaches and employing innovative methodologies. Through her research, Rebecca has been invited to present various conference papers at prestigious events hosted by organisations such as the SLSA, BILETA and LCRN. She has also written for The Conversation, DigiCon and has several peer-reviewed publications. Her research is supported by over £50,000 worth of funding.

She is currently a legal researcher on the interdisciplinary ESPRC-funded project 'Agency: Assuring Citizen Agency in a World with Complex Online Harms.' In which she works with Professor Ben Farrand to deliver the legal and ethical work package.

• Articles

  • Olabode S, Owens R, Zhang N, Copilah-Ali J, Kolomeets M, Wu H, Malviya S, Markeviciute K, Spiliotopoulos T, Neesham C, Shi L, Chambers D. Complex Online Harms and the Smart Home: A Scoping Review. Future Generation Computer Systems 2023, 149, 664-678.
  • Gokani N, Garde A, Philpott M, Ireland R, Owens R, Boyland E. UK Nutrition Research Partnership 'Hot Topic' Workshop Report: A 'game changer' for dietary health: addressing the implications of sport sponsorship by food businesses through an innovative interdisciplinary collaboration. Nutrition Bulletin 2022, 47(1), 115-122.

• Book Chapter

  • Owens R. Personalised Shopping and Algorithmic Pricing: How EU Competition Law Can Protect Consumers in the Digital World. In: Custers B; Fosch-Villaronga E, ed. Law and Artificial Intelligence: Regulating AI and Applying AI in Legal Practice. The Hague: T.M.C. Asser Press, 2022, pp.395–410.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)

  • Copilah-Ali J, Owens R, Wu H, Zhang N, Olabode S, Durrant A, Vlachokyriakos V, Elliot K. Responsible AI and the Smart Home Environment: A Multidisciplinary Overview of Issues, Challenges, and Solutions. In: International Conference on AI and the Digital Economy (CADE 2023). 2023, Venice, Italy: IET.