home

Ash Watson

I am a sociologist at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. My research examines the social impacts of AI and emerging tech, and the social significance of cultural spaces like archives and public libraries. I am interested in creative methods, diy and alt media, and queer feminist work.

I am Fiction Editor of The Sociological Review; the creator/editor of So Fi Zine, a twice-yearly publication for sociological fiction, poetry and visual art; and Affiliate of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S). My debut novel Into the Sea was published by Brill in 2020. I run the indie zine publisher/distro Frances Street Press.

I have held a number of visiting positions including with The University of Glasgow (2025), the ESRC Centre for SocioDigital Futures at the University of Bristol (2023), and Goldsmiths, University of London as a Doctoral Endeavour Research Fellow (2017).

My grants and publications are listed here.

Contact me via email at ashleigh.watson@unsw.edu.au. Subscribe for sociological fiction news via awtsn.substack.com.

Google Scholar | University webpage | LinkedIn | Bluesky