Richard Heeks

Principal Investigator

Richard Heeks is Chair in Digital Development at the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester, and Director of the Centre Digital for Development.  He has been consulting and researching on data, digital technology and international development for more than 30 years.  His book publications include India’s Software Industry (1996), Reinventing Government in the Information Age (1999), Implementing and Managing eGovernment (2006), and Information and Communication Technology for Development (2018). You can find a full list of his publications here.

His research interests are data-intensive development, e-resilience and e-sustainability, digital development, and the digital economy in developing countries; the latter being supported by the ESRC-funded strategic research network, “Development Implications of Digital Economies” of which he was convenor.  He has a PhD in Indian IT industry development, directs the MSc programme in Digital Development, and runs the ICT for Development blog.

Richard is currently Fairwork lead for Indonesia, Pakistan and South Africa, and for Grab.