Dr Adam Harkens
Lecturer
Law
Personal statement
Adam is currently Lecturer in Public Law at the University of Strathclyde. He teaches at both UG and PG levels on topics including constitutional law, administrative law, digital regulation, and public law dimensions of algorithmic decision-making. He is also a founding member and PhD Supervisor in the Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training (SCDT) in Human Rights-Based Decision-Making.
From 2019-2022 Adam worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, on the international and interdisciplinary FATAL4JUSTICE? Programme. He was responsible for developing and delivering research pertaining to social and legal issues in the use of algorithmic decision-making (ADM) tools in criminal justice. During his time at Birmingham, Adam also served as a founding member of the LEADS Lab (Legal, Ethical and Accountable Digital Society).
Prior to his role at Birmingham, Adam worked as a Research Assistant for King's College London and the Public Law Project, investigating the use of ADM tools by public authorities in England and Wales. He also holds a PhD in Law from Queen's University Belfast, funded by the Leverhulme Interdisciplinary Network on Cybersecurity and Society (LINCS).
Adam is currently writing a monograph due for publication by Edward Elgar Publishing, entitled 'The Algorithmic State: Power, Constitutionalism and the Future of Administrative Law.'
Publications
- How algorithmic policing challenges fundamental rights protection in the EU : lessons from the United Kingdom
- Harkens Adam
- The Challenges of Artificial Intelligence for Law in Europe (2025) (2025)
- Generative AI and Courts in the UK : a Candle in a Hurricane
- Harkens Adam, Morison John
- The Cambridge Handbook of AI and Technologies in Courts (2025) (2025)
- Response to Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (Dutch DPA) Consultation on 'Meaningful Human Intervention'
- Harkens Adam
- (2025)
- Article 71: EU Database for High-Risk AI Systems Listed in Annex III
- Harkens Adam
- The EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act A Commentary (2024) (2024)
- Article 49: Registration
- Harkens Adam
- The EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act A Commentary (2024) (2024)
- How do "technical" design choices made when building algorithmic decision-making tools for criminal justice authorities create constitutional dangers? : (Part I)
- Yeung Karen, Harkens Adam
- Public Law Vol 2023, pp. 265-286 (2023)
Teaching
In Academic Year 25/26, Adam will be teaching on the following modules:
Semester 1
- Administrative Law (Level 2 - Module Co-convenor)
- Administrative Law (Level 4 Hons. - Module Convenor)
- Regulating Technology (PGT - Module Co-convenor)
Semester 2
- Human Rights and Digital Technologies (PGT - Module Convenor)
- Law, Power and Accountability in the Algorithmic Society (PGT - Module Convenor)
In previous years, Adam has also taught on:
- Constitutional Law (Level 1 - Module Co-convenor).
- Constitutional Law (Level 4 Hons.)
Research Interests
Adam's research is primarily motivated by a desire to critically analyse and understand the ways in which the exercise of public power - conferred upon public authorities in pursuit of defined legal duties and obligations - is transformed and/or displaced through the design and deployment of digital decision-making tools and platforms. Led by a concern for preventing potential abuse(s) of power in this context, his research engages with concepts including constitutionalism, surveillance, privacy and data protection, human rights, and legal and political theory.
Adam has published his research in a range of academic journals, including Legal Studies and Public Law. He has provided expert advice on the use of ADM tools in the public sector, to public bodies and other organisations including the Office for AI, the Public Law Project, and the Raad Van State in the Netherlands.
Professional Activities
- United Nations Stakeholder Consultation on the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance
- Speaker
- 18/3/2026
- Computer Law and Security Review (Journal)
- Peer reviewer
- 2/2026
- External PhD Examiner
- External Examiner
- 8/1/2026
- Legal Studies (Journal)
- Peer reviewer
- 1/2026
- Privacy Laws & Business (Journal)
- Peer reviewer
- 2026
- ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (Event)
- Advisor
- 2026
Projects
- Socially Progressive AI Lab
- Noto La Diega, Guido (Principal Investigator) Miyake, Esperanza (Principal Investigator) Harkens, Adam (Co-investigator) Moncur, Wendy (Co-investigator) Weaver, Beth (Co-investigator) Nikou, Stavros (Co-investigator) Jones, Benedict (Co-investigator) Cunningham, Scott (Co-investigator) Dorfler, Viktor (Co-investigator) Liu, Xi (Co-investigator)
- The Socially Progressive AI Lab (SPAI-Lab) is the University of Strathclyde's hub for impactful research, collaborative bids, engagement and networking—shaping policy, technical design and regulation in Scotland, the UK and internationally. Scotland's AI Strategy 2026-2013 spotlights the Lab as a key example of "world-leading AI research".
Based in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, SPAI-Lab involves colleagues from all the faculties (Engineering, Science, Strathclyde Business School), bridging humanities‑led approaches and tech‑centred methods. The Lab's research and activities are guided by a commitment to socially progressive deployment of AI that advances equity, upholds human rights and serves the public good.
The SPAI-Lab brings together over 90 experts from across the University and is co-led by Dr Esperanza Miyake and Professor Guido Noto La Diega and is supported by a cross-Faculty, cross-departmental steering committee: Professor Wendy Moncur, Professor Beth Weaver,
Dr Stavros Nikou, Professor Ben Jones, Dr Xi Liu, Dr Adam Harkens, Professor Scott Cunningham, Professor Viktor Dorfler. - 26-Jan-2026
- INTERNALLY FUNDED: Strathclyde Centre for Doctoral Training in Human Rights-based Decision-Making (£132,000)
- Harkens, Adam (Co-investigator) Miyake, Esperanza (Co-investigator) Nicol, Emma (Co-investigator) Ntona, Maria (Co-investigator) Schippers, Birgit (Co-investigator) Webster, Elaine (Co-investigator)
- Internally funded
£132,000 - 01-Jan-2023 - 31-Jan-2027