Dr Mikolaj Firlej

I'm Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the AI Institute at the University of Surrey, where I strive to establish a leading research portfolio in the field of Human-AI Interaction. The goal of my research is to provide a deeper understanding about the role of human factors in the increasingly algorithmic decision making across various sectors. Specifically, I focus on the operationalisation of the emerging legal principle of meaningful human control over the use of autonomous systems. At the University of Surrey, I draw from the cross-disciplinary studies of more technically oriented scholars, lawyers, and moral philosophers affiliated at the Institute and beyond. As a person with a strong commitment to public service, I am particularly interested in supporting the Institute to become a leading hub for external partnerships and policy engagement.

Previously, at Oxford, I helped to establish the Centre for Technology and Global Affairs at the Department for Politics and International Relations, where I coordinated development activities and supported the AI research Programme as a Research Affiliate.

I hold a doctorate from the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford awarded for a thesis on the emerging regulatory standards over the use of AI-augmented and autonomous weapon systems in the US Air Force. I also graduated from the MPP at the Oxford School of Government and did my graduate and undergraduate studies in socio-legal studies and philosophy at Oxford and the Inter-Faculty Individual Studies in the Humanities, University of Warsaw. Outside of my work, I enjoy time with my family, read great novels, study geopolitics, try to play the trumpet, and pursue sport activities.