Preferred Pronouns

She/Her

Educational History

Ph.D., MA, BA, Wayne State University

Research

As an intersectional scholar, my research broadly examines social constructions of gender and race. My interests are primarily centered on investigating how institutions of media, science and technology perpetuate inequality, influence broader notions of culture, and impact self-perceptions of identity. Multiple projects have been inspired by two separate but culturally relevant trends: comic book movies and genetic ancestry testing. My master’s research analyzed Marvel fan discourse about bending the race and gender of classic superhero characters in comic book movie adaptations. At the other end the spectrum, my dissertation research employed in-depth interviews to explore genetic ancestry testing and identity which ultimately led me to analyze the discursive strategies used to reconstruct identity when presented with genetic options.