IRDL is made up of a vibrant community of faculty members, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, alumni, and industry specialists committed to building community through the study and discussion of digital literacies.
Director
Alison Harvey
Associate Professor Department of Global Communications and Cultures, Glendon College
Coordinator
Colleen Thumlert
MI Library & Information Science, MS Environmental Education
Stream Leads
The Stream Leads represent four different aspects of IRDL research and help to build community by leading various events for members throughout the year.
Nathaniel Laywine
York University
Digital Learning, Technology and New Pedagogies Stream Lead
Muyang Li
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology,
York University
Surveillance, Privacy and AI Stream Lead
Tracy Zhang
York University
Digital Culture, Critical Literacies and Social Media Stream Lead
TBC
York University
Digital Literacies Across Generations and Age Stream Lead
Fresange Maleka
Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies,
York University
Graduate Student Representative
Joel White
Communication and Culture,
York University
Graduate Student Representative
Executive Committee
The IRDL Executive Committee is here to provide overarching guidance for the director, coordinator, and stream leads.
Ganaele Langlois
Associate Professor Department of Communication & Media Studies,
York University
Nombuso Dlamini
York University
Kurt Thumlert
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education,
York University
Abigail Shabtay
Assistant Professor, Children, Childhood, and Youth program in the Department of Humanities. Theatre and Performance Studies, Communication and Culture, Humanities, and Education,
York University
Remi Vives
York University
Fellows
Fellows are distinguished individuals who contribute to IRDL’s mission through a combination of specialized work, governance, and community participation.
Maureen Mauk
Visiting Research Fellow at York University’s Institute for Research on Digital Literacies and serves as the Senior Standards & Practices Analyst for Sony’s anime streaming platform, Crunchyroll
Rainforest Scully-Blaker
Research Associate at the University of Michigan’s School of Information. Lecturer in Game Design at Uppsala University and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies at Tampere University
Active Members
- Melanie Baljko, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Co-ordinator, Digital Media Program, Faculty of Science and Engineering, York University
- Natalia Balyasnikova, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, York University. Profile Link
- Kelly Bergstrom, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies, York University, Markham
- Natalie Coulter, Associate Professor in Communication Studies and graduate programme, Communication and Culture, York University. Director Emeritus of IRDL. Profile Link
- Negin Dahya, University of Toronto
- Iris Epstein, York University
- Brandee Easter, Assistant Professor, Writing, Faculty Affiliate, Humanities,York University
- Stephanie Fisher, Research Officer, University of Toronto
- Estee Fresco, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies, York University
- Rob Heynen, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies, York University
- David Gelb, Assistant Professor, Department of Design School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD), York University
- Jennifer Jenson, Director Emeritus of IRDL. Professor, Digital Languages, Literacies, and Cultures, University of British Columbia
- Stephanie Jonsson
- Michael Longford, Digital Media Program in School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD), York University
- Sam McCready, York University
- Kisha McPherson, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Carolyn Steele, York University
- Nicholas Taylor, Associate Professor, York University, Markham
- Deanne Williams, Professor, Department of English, York University. Profile Link
- Kim Wilson, Co-Director, Children’s Media Lab, RTA School of Media, Toronto Metropolitan University. Profile Link
- Sue Winton, Professor, York Research Chair in Policy Analysis for Democracy, York University
Graduate Research Associates
- Alex Borkowski, York University
- Marion Grant, York University
- Hannah Maitland, York University
- Sillja Mitange, York University
- Victoria Sands, York University
- Andy Schwartz, York University
- Shelbey Walker, York University