Dr. Smith is an Associate Professor in the department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University. Her research focuses on bringing community and public interest perspectives to bear on the design, use, and governance of digital technologies. Her most recent publications explore privacy and artificial intelligence regulation, pandemic connectivity, and open-source influenced design processes and methods. At Brock, Dr. Smith participates as a faculty member the Social Justice and Equity Studies MA program and she collaborates with the Inclusive Education Research Lab. Dr. Smith recently initiated a three year project on ethical educational technologies, which is supported by a Chancellor’s Chair for Teaching Excellence award (2025-2028). Through her work, Dr. Smith continually strives to better understand the tensions between openness, privacy, and participation in technologically mediated culture.