Jeba Humayra

Graduate Research Assistant

Sociology: Political Sociology of Human Rights, Human Rights and Political Violence, Dissent and Repression, Internet Governance and Human Rights, Digital Authoritarianism, and Contemporary South Asian Politics.

Jeba is a second-year PhD student in Public Sociology at George Mason University, with a concentration in Globalization. She is also a Graduate Research Assistant and project manager at the Movement Engaged Research Hub, housed within the Center for Social Science Research. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in International Relations from the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. During her master’s studies, she interned and later worked full-time with various international non-governmental organizations, focusing on social justice and human rights advocacy. She then served as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for child protection project in the Rohingya refugee camps, the largest refugee camp in the world.

When she is not immersed in reading or research, Jeba enjoys desserts paired with a good cup of coffee.

Current Research

Jeba’s current research centers on digital governance, digital authoritarianism, and digital democratization, guided by two core questions: What does freedom mean in the context of Bangladesh? and how can truth be found in the digital age amid fake news, media bias, propaganda, deception, AI-driven manipulation, and other forms of digital fakery? She examines how legal and technological systems together shape power and rights. She focuses on social imaginaries, cybersecurity law and governance, Internet governance, and emerging regulatory frameworks around AI and data protection. Her work also engages questions of cyber capacity building, cross-sector trust-building in politically sensitive environments, and the challenges posed by electoral interference, surveillance technologies, IoT vulnerabilities, cybercrime, and data protection.

If you would like to learn more about the project or are interested in participating as an interviewee, you can reach Jeba at jhumayra@gmu.edu

Selected Publications

Humayra, Jeba, Md. Kamal Uddin, and Nusrat Yeasmin Pushpo. 2024. "Deficiencies of Women's Participation in Climate Governance and Sustainable Development Challenges in Bangladesh." Sustainable Development. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3075.

Grants and Fellowships

Presidential Scholarship ($144,000), George Mason University, 2024–2028

Graduate Student Travel Fund, GMU ($450) – ESS Conference (2025)

Graduate Student Travel Fund, GMU ($500) – Mobilization Conference (2025)

Education

PhD in Public Sociology, George Mason University (In Progress)
Master of Social Science, International Relations, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, 2021
Bachelor of Social Science, International Relations, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, 2020

Recent Presentations

Humayra, Jeba. 2025. “We Were Almost Emancipated, Is It Slipping Away? The Paradox of Digital Governance, Rights, and Reform in Bangladesh’s (Democratic) Transition.” Draft proposal presented at the Movement Engaged Research Hub, CSSR, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, October 17.

Humayra, Jeba. 2025. "Bangladesh at the Crossroads of Democratic Reform and Post-Authoritarian Possibilities." Paper presented at the Mobilization Conference, San Diego State University, CA, June 24.

Humayra, Jeba. 2025. "Examining the Role of Artistic Representations in Mobilizing Collective Identity and Challenging Oppressive Regimes in Bangladesh." Paper presented at the Eastern Sociological Society Annual Conference, Boston, MA, March 7.