The School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin is pleased to announce that five new faculty members will be joining the iSchool in the 2021-2022 academic year.
“Our search committees have done a great job recruiting excellent people to join us in the coming year,” said Dean Eric T. Meyer. “The group joining us has a great diversity of experience, enormous expertise, and comes from a range of intellectual backgrounds which will strengthen the iSchool’s research and teaching for years to come. I think everyone connected to the iSchool is going to benefit from the wealth of knowledge they are bringing to UT Austin.”
R. David Lankes
Full Professor and Virginia & Charles Bowden Professor of Librarianship
R. David Lankes joins the iSchool from the University of South Carolina, where he has been the director of the School of Library and Information Science since 2016. His research and teaching areas are focused on libraries and the changing nature of librarianship. As the Bowden Professor, Lankes will play a leadership role in advancing libraries as essential institutions where information serves humanity for social good.
Edgar Gómez-Cruz
Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Edgar Gómez-Cruz joins the iSchool from the University of New South Wales, Australia, where he has been a Senior Lecturer in Digital Cultures in the School of the Arts and Media since 2018. His research focuses on digital mediations using an ethnographic approach following people’s practices with digital technologies, including a focus on data and algorithms in the global south. As the Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Gómez-Cruz will lead the iSchool’s effort to establish a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for our faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
Angela D. R. Smith
Assistant Professor in Social Justice Informatics
Angela D. R. Smith joins the iSchool from Northwestern University where she completed her Ph.D. in Technology & Social Behavior. Her research focuses on the information needs of marginalized communities, such as emerging adults experiencing homelessness as well as social justice and equity. In this role, Smith will help the iSchool shape our approach to Social Justice Informatics across the school and play a foundational role in the iSchool's new undergraduate major in Informatics, which includes a concentration in Social Justice Informatics.
Stephen C. Slota
Boyvey Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow
Steve Slota has been a Bullard Research Fellow and Postdoctoral Researcher at the iSchool since 2019. His new role as a Boyvey teaching fellow will allow him to focus on developing the iSchool’s new undergraduate Informatics degree program. Slota earned his Ph.D. in Informatics from UC Irvine in 2017. His research focuses on social informatics, data ethics and values, and information policy.
John Robert Bautista
Boyvey Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow
John Robert Bautista has been a Bullard Research Fellow at the iSchool since 2019. His new role as a Boyvey teaching fellow will allow him to focus on developing the iSchool’s new undergraduate Informatics degree program. Bautista earned his Ph.D. in communication science from Nanyang Technological University in 2019. His research focuses on the role of health informatics and health communication among healthcare professionals.