Rena Bivens

Prof Rena Bivens is an Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Rena holds a PhD from the University of Glasgow, and a BA and MA from Western University. Her current research interests focus on the intersection of lesbian media history, queer theory, and trans studies. Past work has explored normative design practices that become embedded within media technologies, including social media software, mobile phone apps, and technologies associated with television news production.

Rena’s work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as New Media & Society, Feminist Media Studies, Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media & Technology, the Canadian Journal of Communication, Information, Communication & Society, Social Media + Society, and the International Journal of Communication. Rena is also the author of Digital Currents: How Technology and the Public are Shaping TV News (University of Toronto Press, 2014). All of this work has been presented at academic conferences, government bodies (Global Affairs Canada, Status of Women Canada), international organizations (UN Women), and non-profit organizations and charities (Canadian Women's Foundation, Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport, Sexual Assault Network).