About EDDS Institute
Independent research and public-interest leadership for trustworthy education technology. We work with communities such as parents, guardians, teachers, health workers, pedagogy and education technology experts, policymakers and people who genuinely care about improving education opportunities for children and young people in a digitally saturated world.
Our position
Digital technologies and AI should earn their place in education through independent evidence, robust governance, and demonstrable benefit to children, educators, and society.
Our approach
We take an interdisciplinary, child-centred approach to the governance of education technologies. Drawing on expertise across education, psychology, sociology, law, cybersecurity, data science, and public policy, we ask a simple but often overlooked question: what genuinely serves children's wellbeing and learning? From there, we develop the evidence, guardrails, and practical tools needed to help education systems make responsible decisions about technology.
Our work has two complementary aims. First, we create spaces for learning and dialogue through research, public engagement, and initiatives such as the Tech for the 99% Webinar Series, helping educators, families, policymakers, and developers navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape. Second, we develop practical methods for independently evaluating education technologies - examining whether software marketed as ‘educational’ genuinely supports learning, respects children’s rights, and operates with appropriate safeguards, accountability, and transparency.
Meet Our Team
EDDS Institute is built on interdisciplinary collaboration. Our people bring expertise in education, AI, data science, law, child rights, cybersecurity, and public policy. Some work as part of the Institute's core team, while others contribute through research collaborations, advisory roles and project-based initiatives alongside positions in universities, public institutions and industry.
Dr Veli Hillman
Co-founder & director
Velislava co-founded EDDS Institute with Ronald Hepburn in 2019 following her Research Fellowship at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. With Ronald’s early support through Etoile Partners, they established the Institute to address the growing need for independent governance of education technologies and children’s data. Today, EDDS Institute develops practical frameworks for auditing EdTech and AI systems, supporting schools, families, policymakers, and technology providers to make safer, more accountable decisions. Her work is driven by a single goal: keeping children’s wellbeing and education at the centre of digital transformation. She is the author of Taming EdTech (Bloomsbury, 2025).
Matthew Demicoli
Chief Information & Security
Matthew is an information security and privacy expert with extensive experience in cybersecurity governance, IT risk management, and regulatory compliance. He has led large-scale security and compliance programmes across financial services and international consultancy, implementing frameworks including ISO 27001, NIST, CIS Controls, GDPR, DORA, and NIS2. A Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, he brings deep expertise in security assurance, risk assessment, and organisational resilience. At EDDS Institute, he leads cybersecurity, digital assurance, and governance work to strengthen the security and trustworthiness of education technologies.
Evan Radkoff
Machine Learning & Data Expert
Evan is a data scientist and software engineer from Seattle, WA. He obtained an M.S. in Computer Science with a focus on applied Machine Learning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Formerly at Amazon.com, he now independently contracts as an R&D specialist in areas including natural language processing and digital signal processing. He is a lead developer of Terms of Service; Didn’t Read (tosdr.org), providing privacy policy audits of major digital services.
Kali Thompson
Pedagogy Expert & Community Outreach
Kali (kay-lee) holds a PhD in Educational Theory and Practice from the University of Georgia with a focus on teacher education and critical studies. Prior to beginning her graduate studies she was an elementary school teacher in the U.S. and teacher ambassador for an international educational technology company. In her research she uses feminist new materialist and Marxist feminist theories to explore topics such as the neoliberal capitalist entanglement between EdTech companies and schools, women's labour within the context of education and digital spaces, and feminist pedagogical practices. She is currently a lecturer in Education at the University of Lincoln where she engages in critical post qualitative inquiry and feminist teaching practices in hopes of crafting more humanizing ways of being with/in the world.
Kali co-leads the Tech for the 99% Webinar Series at the EDDS Institute in support of families, teachers and wider communities caring for children’s wellbeing and education.
Ronald Hepburn
Co-founder & director
Ronald is the founder and Managing Director of Etoile Partners, a London-based geopolitical consultancy advising corporations, governments, and institutions on policy, regulation, and the politics of digital and emerging technologies. Together with Dr Velislava Hillman, he co-founded EDDS Institute and serves as a Director, with Etoile Partners supporting the Institute's development from its inception. His career spans nearly four decades of work in advocacy, public policy, and international affairs, delivering strategic projects across more than fifty countries and advising governments, international organisations, financial institutions, and the education sector on the governance and societal implications of emerging technologies.
Dr Emily Johnson
Child Rights & Data Privacy Lead
Emily is a privacy and AI governance specialist based in Vienna, Austria. She is completing a PhD in Data Protection Law at the University of Vienna and holds an LL.M. in Technology, Innovation and the Law from the University of Edinburgh. Having led privacy and AI compliance at Deel, she has developed AI governance frameworks, GDPR compliance programmes, and privacy-by-design processes for global organisations. At EDDS Institute, she leads work on AI governance, privacy, child data protection, and regulatory compliance, supporting the development of responsible and trustworthy digital education systems.
Lubna Khan
Data Analytics & AI Audits Lead
Lubna has a background in data science and learning analytics with expertise in responsible AI, machine learning, and data governance. With a background spanning education, business intelligence, and digital transformation, she has led data and AI strategy initiatives across the education and professional learning sectors. Currently serving at ACCA alongside her role as BA lead within Strategy Insights and Analytics, where she specialises in translating complex data into practical decision-making. At EDDS Institute, she leads AI risk assessments and data analytics to support the independent evaluation, governance, and assurance of education technologies.