People of Star Lab
Dr. Alex Christie
Department of Digital Humanities
Department of Digital Humanities & Department of Educational Studies
Administrative Staff
Thomas Brown
Technical Associate
Jeremy Leipert
Project Coordinator
Affiliate Researchers
Dr. Karen Louise Smith
Dr. Karen Louise Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University. At Brock, she is also affiliated with the Social Justice Research Institute and the Social Justice and Equity Studies MA program. Dr. Smith’s research focuses on bringing community, and public interest perspectives to bear on the design, use, and governance of digital technologies. Her published work includes a recent submission to federal policy-makers to comment on a privacy and AI draft bill, the exploration of pandemic connectivity for K-12 learners, a study of advocacy in privacy software design and the creation of open educational resources to enhance digital policy literacy. Through her work, Dr. Smith strives to better understand the tensions between openness, privacy, and participation in technologically mediated culture.
Nicole Luke
Dr. Nicole Luke is an educator who specializes in the strategic science of instruction for both adult and child learners. She completed her doctoral degree in Education and Applied Behavior Analysis at Columbia University. She has worked in both clinical and educational settings and consulted to a variety of organizations in North America, Europe, and Asia. Her research interests include verbal behaviour development and the use of advanced technology like virtual reality to design learning environments.
Ebru Ustundag
Dr. Ebru Ustundag is a critical feminist geographer who examines the intersections of health care and social justice. She is an Associate Professor of Geography at Brock University in Ontario, Canada, and a member of the graduate faculty in the interdisciplinary Social Justice and Equity Studies MA program. Ebru co-chairs the Graphic Medicine International Collective Board and serves as a co-editor of the journal ACME: International Journal of Critical Geographies.
Dane Di Cesare
Dr. Dane Marco Di Cesare (he/him) is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Brock University. Additionally, he is Chair of the Canada Regional Network of INQYR (the International Partnership for Queer Youth Resilience), a multilingual SSHRC-funded research partnership designed to understand and support the resilience of 2SLGBTQ+ youth through technology-engaged research and practice.
As a multidisciplinary academic, Dane specializes in the areas of special education, digital technology, literacy, multimodalities and multiliteracies with an emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Broadly, his research interests explore how 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and youth with disabilities engage with digital technology and media literacies. His current research projects involve experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ video game players and impacts on identity and wellbeing, digital technology use for 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomers to the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada, and gender equity in early childhood contexts.
In his free time, Dane enjoys playing video games, traveling, and watching horror movies.
