Tegg Westbrook
Førsteamanuensis i byplanlegging
Institutt for sikkerhet, økonomi og planlegging
Bio
I am Associate Professor at the Department of Safety, Economics, and Planning at the Faculty of Science and Technology. I have a Bachelor of Science in Human Geography, a Master of Arts in International Relations, and a PhD in Globalisation Studies.
Research
I am a technologist interested in the social and political consequences resulting from the end-use of security and safety technologies. I engage with issues of city resilience from a security perspective, particularly on the topics of crime and terrorism prevention, smart home/city security, and emergency response. I engage with literature from many disciplines, ranging from political sciences, urban planning, to computer sciences.
My recent publications have engaged with issues of radio interference devices, the criminal motivations for using them, and who are most affected. I also undertake research into the question of proportionality in considering counterterrorism measures in urban areas. My research has also explored the advantages and disadvantages of using artificial intellgence in the detection and response to symptoms of COVID-19.
My medium-term ambitions is to dedicate more research into individual security and emergency response. In particular, I am undertaking research into how digital infrastructures can enable more rapid and cost-effective emergency response using unmanned ariel systems in challenging environments, such as dense urban locales and sparse rural locations. I am interested in how decisions are made in responding to low and high priority responses using digital tools.
As for individual security, I am in touch with crisis centres in Norway to understand the phenomenon of technology-facilitated domestic violence (tech abuse) in smart homes. My goal is to establish if increases in tech abuse (in other countries) has been witnessed in Norwegian homes, particularly during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Ongoing projects
RESICITIES - Building resilience through education for Sustainable, Collaborative and Smart Cities
Urban and community sustainability in planning and architecture (UCSPA)
Building bilateral research network towards resilient, smart and sustainable cities and regions
RISKSEC2.0 Local climate change adaptation: from risk governance to securitisation strategies?
Academic Development through bilateral peer-learning activities on mission-oriented innovation for Climate Neutral and Smart Cities
Trolltunga Bilateral Fund in the field of Higher Education Institutions
Teaching, Leadership and Coordination
Introduction to Urban Planning and Societal Safety (BYS110 - Coordinator)
Bacheloroppgave i byplanlegging og samfunsikkerhet (BYSBAC - Coordinator)
Resilient Cities (BYG 640 - Lecturer, previously coordinator)
Risk, safety, economics, and planning for Smart Cities (Erasmus+, in collaboration with Czech Technical University in Prague - joint coordinator).
Terrorism and security (RIS535 - Lecturer)
Sustainable City Regions (BYG610 - previous lecturer)
Digital Societies for Sustainable Energy Transitions (MEE128 - Lecturer)
Masteroppgave byplanlegging (BYGBAC - Supervision)
PhD Project course in Urban Planning (BYG900 - Supervision)
I was study programme leader for the bachelor programme "Urban Planning and Societal Safety" (Byplanlegging og samfunnssikkerhet) between 2021-2023
Other relevant experiences
Between 2019 and 2020, I was Visiting Scholar at the University of St. Andrews, Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV). I worked collaboratively with scholars at the Center on the subject of non-state actor motivations and capabilities in the electromagnetic domain.
For two years during my PhD I worked mostly on a voluntary capacity for Omega Research Foundation who are dedicated to providing rigorous, objective, evidence-based research on the manufacture, trade in, and use of, military, security and police technologies.
