Prof Theo Papaioannou

Professional biography

I am a political scientist and theorist with interdisciplinary focus on ethics and politics of innovation and development. I received my BA in Politics and International Studies from the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences of Athens, followed by an MA and DPhil in Social and Political Thought from the University of Sussex. Since the year 2000 I have worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Brighton and have taught at Birkbeck, University of London, the London South Bank University and the University College London. I have also advised research and development policy organisations in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Central and Eastern Europe and South East Asia. I joined the Department of Development Policy and Practice (DPP) and the Institute for Innovation Generation (INNOGEN) at the Open University (OU) in October 2005. Since then I have served in various leadership positions, including those of Head of Department from July 2014 until July 2016 and Deputy Director of the Strategic Research Area in International Development and Inclusive Innovation (SRA IDII) from June 2015 until October 2019. I have also served as REF 2021 Strategy Chair for the International Development UoA. I am currently the University's Academic Lead for Open and Engaging Research and co-Director of INNOGEN. I am also Qualification Lead for MSc in Global Development (F86). I am a member of the following professional associations: Political Studies Association (PSA); Association for Studies in Innovation, Science and Technology (AsSIST-UK) and Development Studies Association (DSA). 

Research interests

My work is in the areas of ethics, politics and public policy with a specific focus on technological innovation and development. My current research interests are interdiciplinary and include: ethics and politics of AI/ML technologies for development; health-industry policy linkages in Africa; the role of the state in innovation; innovation systems directionality; inclusive innovation and global development; industrial associations and innovation policy; and the application of contemporary political theory in innovation and development studies. My work has appeared in top academic journals such as Research Policy, World Development, Global Ethics, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, Progress in Development Studies, Journal of Responsible Innovation, Innovation and Development,Technological Forecasting & Social Change, Science and Public Policy, Critical Policy Studies and International Political Science Review. I am keen to supervise PhD students in my main areas of expertise. I welcome both theoretical and empirical research projects. 

Teaching interests

My teaching interests are in ethics, politics and public policy with focus on technological innovation and global development. I am currently chairing the presentation of DD870 Understanding Global Development (60 credits). In the past, I chaired the production and presentation of TD223, International Development, Making Sense of a Changing World (60 credits). I also chaired part of the production of D229, a new undergraduate module on Introducing Development Studies (60 credits) and worked on MSc in Global Development, producing teaching materials for DD870, DD871 Key Challenges in Global Development (60 credits) and DD872 Researching Global Development (60 credits). I also delivered teaching materials for DD213 Environment and Society and DD313 International Relations, Continuity and Change in Global Politics and I was part of the production team of the Masters level Business, Human Rights Law and Corporate Social Responsibility (W822).

Impact and engagement

I have contributed a number of reports and public policy briefs to research and innovation policy organisations in developing and developed countries, including South Africa, India, Canada and USA. I am currently external advisor to several policy-making organizations, including the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and NESTA-UK. I am also a member of the ESRC and Innovate UK Innovation Caucus.

External collaborations

I hold visiting academic positions at the Universities of Brighton and Edinburgh. I also sit on the editorial advisory board of the International Journal of Technology Management and Sustainable Development and Tecnoscienza, the Italian Journal of Science and Technology.  In the past, I served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of International Development (from 2013 to 2021) and acted as a referee for a number of top rated academic journals, including Political Studies, World Development  and Research Policy. I also served as an Academic Reviewer of the American College of Thessaloniki and as an External Examiner of the University of Manchester, the University of Edinburgh and the University College London. Over the years I have reviewed a number of funding applications for research councils and other institutions, including: Wellcome Trust (WT); Genome Canada (GC); National Science Foundation (NSF); and the Economics and Social Research Council (ESRC).