As the Internet and digital communications continue to transform how we work, learn, and live, thoughtful research and meaningful discussions about the implications of these technologies have never been more important. At SPIA, our students don’t just study these issues—they learn from faculty who are directly shaping the national conversation.
One person leading the way is Pitt Professor Ilia Murtazashvili. A faculty member in SPIA and Co-director of the Center for Governance and Markets (CGM), Murtazashvili has been appointed to the 2025–2026 Program Committee for The Research Conference on Communications, Information, and Internet Policy (TPRC). TPRC is a leading U.S.-based academic and policy conference that brings a diverse group of scholars, policymakers, and industry experts together to explore pressing issues in communications, information, and Internet policy.
As a member of the Program Committee, Murtazashvili will help guide the conference’s intellectual direction by reviewing research submissions, shaping panel themes, and supporting the development of rigorous, interdisciplinary scholarship. The appointment recognizes Murtazashvili’s leadership in governance research and his expanding contributions to the field of communications and technology policy.
Murtazashvili is multidisciplinary political economist, with a particular focus on the governance of natural resources, emerging technologies, and the evolution of property rights. His recent research includes studies on blockchain governance, commons management, and approaches to regulating rapidly evolving technological systems. He recently received the Chester A. Newland Award from Public Administration Review for his article “Blockchains for Emergency and Crisis Management,” and serves as a Research Partner with SpectrumX: An NSF Spectrum Innovation Center, where he contributes to research on spectrum governance—an area closely aligned with TPRC’s longstanding focus on communications and spectrum policy.
When not conducting his own research or leading work at CGM, Professor Murtazashvili can be found in the classroom. This fall, he’s leading the course, ‘How Public Policy Works: Foundations of Public Policy,’ an undergraduate class designed to introduce students to the creation, implementation, and evaluation of public policy.