Rhonda McEwen University of Toronto, Canada
Dr. Rhonda N. McEwen is the 14th President and Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto; Canada Research Chair in Tactile Interfaces, Communication and Cognition; a Professor of Emerging Media & Communication; and a faculty member at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information & Technology. Dr. McEwen combines communication studies, and applied and behavioral sciences to examine the social and cognitive effects of technologies. Her pioneering approach to communication research employs experimental techniques, eye tracking, observations, sensor data, and interviews to investigate Human-Machine Communication involving children and adults across the user spectrum, including those diagnosed with communication and learning disorders. Journalists from CBS news magazine 60 Minutes covered McEwen’s research in 2012 and 2013, and she has over 47 publications, including articles in Human-Robot Interaction Companion; Information, Communication & Society; Computers and Education; Learning & Instruction; New Media and Society; and information science journals.