UOIT researcher Dr. Isabel Pedersen named to prestigious national society

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology congratulates Dr. Isabel Pedersen, Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Digital Life, Media and Culture, who has been named one of the inaugural 91 members of the Royal Society of Canada’s (RSC) College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

• Link to Royal Society of Canada’s news release

Dr. Pedersen, Associate Professor, UOIT Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, conducts research that broadly questions the way in which future-proposed technology affects human identity and culture. Digital technologies are often predicted, invented, adopted and even celebrated before we fully understand their societal impacts.

• Link to full list of RSC citations

While most research in the realm of digital media investigates the technological aspects of digital innovation, Dr. Pedersen’s work uniquely focuses on understanding the impacts of the digital age on our lives, culture, art and social practices. She is interested in how popular film, mainstream journalism, inventors’ writings and social media outlets persuade society to adopt these gadgets.

“This is an important moment in the history of the Royal Society of Canada,” said Graham Bell, President, RSC. “The College is Canada’s first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for the emerging generation of leaders. Together, the members of the College will be in a position to provide guidance on issues of importance to Canadians, and to promote Canadian achievements in the arts, humanities and sciences around the world.”

Dr. Pedersen and the other members of the RSC’s inaugural cohort will be formally recognized at a ceremony in Quebec City in late November.