Professor Abhilash Nair is the Director of Research and Enterprise at University of Southampton Delhi. He provides strategic leadership for advancing globally impactful research, enterprise, innovation and engagement activities across the campus and beyond.

Professor Nair has significant senior leadership experience in the UK Higher Education sector and possesses an internationally recognised profile spanning research, knowledge exchange and global engagement. He currently serves as Chair of the British and Irish Law, Education and Technology Association (BILETA, www.bileta.org), one of the world’s longest established learned societies in technology law. Previously, he was an Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Business Engagement and Innovation in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Exeter, leading on business engagement and innovation at faculty and institutional levels, and working across research, education and global engagement to deliver impact, partnerships and income growth.

Professor Nair is the Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Law and Technology and Deputy Editor of the International Review of Law, Computers and Technology. He has also contributed to national policy and professional practice through roles including membership of the Technology Law and Practice Committee of the Law Society of Scotland and the Evidence Working Group of the UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS).

His principal area of research is internet law, with a particular focus on online safety, child online protection, data protection and privacy, and online age assurance frameworks. He is a regular speaker at international forums and has advised a wide range of national and international stakeholders, including regulators, policymakers, and industry on child safety online, children’s rights, online harms, data protection compliance, and digital regulation. He has led large interdisciplinary research projects and has authored several impactful publications. His research monograph, ‘The Regulation of Internet Pornography: Issues and Challenges’, provides a comprehensive analysis of the regulatory challenges posed by digital technologies and online content governance. Professor Nair’s work also spans other areas of internet law, including online gambling regulation from a child-protection perspective, copyright in the digital environment, and privacy and safety on social media platforms.

He has significant media engagement experience, regularly commenting on these issues across broadcast and print outlets, including the BBC, LBC, The Telegraph, Glamour, The Economic Times and The Conversation.