Ph.D. Program Student Bios
Sarah Dinovelli
Sarah’s research focuses on the history and political economy of journalism. She is interested in how the funding of news agencies affects editorial decision-making. Sarah received her A.B. in History from Princeton University. Her undergraduate thesis analyzed how routine editorial decisions shaped racially biased narratives in mainstream journalism. Her prior research also explored how radio broadcasters attempted to balance financial interests with journalistic duty during World War II. Prior to joining the PhD program, Sarah spent several years in the private sector.
Mandile Mpofu
Mandile is interested in the Black Press— its history, ethics and role in contemporary society. She worked as a reporter at the Bay State Banner, a small, Black-owned newspaper in Boston, where she witnessed first-hand the different editorial choices the paper made compared to those of the mainstream publications she studied in her MS in Journalism program at Boston University. She is interested in researching how ethics and journalism ideals like objectivity differ in Black news media and magazines and, with the rise of “diverse” newsrooms, the role Black community news publications play today. As a Zimbabwean journalist, Mandile is also interested in telling underrepresented stories from Africa and the African diaspora. She reported on climate change effects in Namibia as a 2023 Pulitzer Center reporting fellow.
Jason Seter
Jason's research interests include Eastern European politics and the overlaps between contemporary political communication and popular culture. He received an M.A. in Regional Studies with a focus on Russia, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe at Columbia University's Harriman Institute. He also holds an M.A. in English and a B.A. in English and History from Stanford University. Before beginning his Ph.D., Jason researched the impacts of Russian military diplomacy and disinformation in Serbia and Bulgaria, and received a Fulbright scholarship to study the rise of stand-up comedy and political satire in Croatia. He is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Ashlyn Barclay
Ashlyn’s research focuses on journalism history. She is particularly interested in the history of war reporting and foreign correspondence. Prior to joining the Ph.D. program, Ashlyn received a B.A. in Mass Communication with a focus on Political Communication from Louisiana State University. As a master’s student studying journalism at Louisiana State University’s Manship School of Mass Communication, Ashlyn wrote a thesis analyzing and comparing radio news coverage of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While completing her masters, she also worked with the Social Media Analysis and Creation Lab on various projects, such as an international survey to understand public perceptions of TikTok and recent legislation.
Hirsh Chitkara
Hirsh is interested in the interaction between media and corporate power, especially as it pertains to representations of the modern American tech industry, anti-monopoly movements, and media ownership models. He previously worked as a political reporter for Protocol (part of Politico Media Group) and Business Insider, where he covered federal antitrust legislation, social media content moderation, and trade policy. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 2018 and spent the subsequent year working on the Strategy & Analytics team for the Cleveland Guardians.
Yasmeen Ebada
Yasmeen is an archival and oral historian whose research centers on historiography. She
examines the history of women journalists in war and social movements within the intersections
of feminism, moral injury, moral distress, and trauma. Before joining the Ph.D. program,
Yasmeen worked as an adjunct instructor and freelance reporter in Egypt. She holds a B.A. in
Journalism and Mass Communication from Samford University, an M.S. in Journalism from
Ohio University, and an M.A. in Global Mass Communication from Leipzig University.
Emma Goldhaber
Emma's research focuses on the impact that journalism and social media platforms can have on religious rhetoric. She is especially interested in how discussion of religious rhetoric through online communication can affect behavior and political polarization. She received her B.A. in Journalism from Temple University. As a master's student in Temple University's Media Studies and Production program, Emma wrote a thesis analyzing how news coverage of the QAnon conspiracy theory shifted after the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Before joining the Ph.D. program, Emma worked as an adjunct professor and freelance content writer.
Neda Jahanbani
Neda is interested in studying media systems, intergenerational and intercultural communication, diaspora, and hegemonic belief systems, specifically in relation to pre-revolutionary Iran. Before joining Columbia’s Ph.D. program, Neda earned her M.A. at New York University, where she wrote her thesis on issues of masculinity in intergenerational Iranian American households. Neda also holds a B.A. from The University of California, San Diego, where her research focused on the pre-revolutionary National Iranian Radio and Television system. In her free time, Neda is an advocate and foster for shelter dogs in New York City.
Romy Ronen
Romy Ronen’s research is focused on changes in the film and news industries since the domination of social media, Big Tech, AI, and streaming services. Romy graduated in 2022 from the Joint Program between Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary and earned a BA in Film and Media (Columbia) and a BA in Jewish Literature (JTS). She then received her Master’s in Jewish Studies from Columbia University in 2023. Romy is grateful to have received numerous awards for her activities, published Op-Eds, and other written work.
Samuel Earle
Samuel Earle is a journalist and essayist from London. He’s interested in conceptions of public opinion and how the ways we measure it – whether through the press, polling or online – shape contemporary anxieties around democracy, polarization and social media. He has contributed frequently to the New York Times, Atlantic, Guardian, London Review of Books, New York Magazine and elsewhere. He has an M.Sc. in Political Theory from the London School of Economics. His first book, Tory Nation, on the dominance of the Conservative Party over British politics and history, will be out in 2023 with Simon & Schuster (UK).
Kaylee Williams
Kaylee Williams is a PhD student at the Columbia Journalism School, specializing in technology-facilitated gender-based violence, with a particular emphasis on generative AI and non-consensual intimate imagery. Prior to her doctoral studies, she was a research fellow at Harvard University's Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics & Public Policy, where she investigated coordinated disinformation and cyberharassment campaigns. When time permits, she also covers tech policy and social media platforms as a freelance journalist. She holds a Master of Arts in Political Science from Columbia University.
Stuart Anderson-Davis
Stuart’s work is focused on the history of deception and disinformation. His dissertation examines the ways in which deceptive communications shaped events - and influenced public opinion - in Britain and the United States during the 18th and 19th century. Prior to joining the Ph.D. program, Stuart worked for 10 years in politics and public relations. Stuart holds a B.A. in History and Ancient History from the University of Nottingham and an M.Phil. in Modern European History from Cambridge University. He lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters.
William McIlwain
William McIlwain was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio where he achieved a bachelor’s of arts in International Affairs at the University of Cincinnati. He also holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Florida International University. Since graduating, McIlwain worked in the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer (diplomat) in various places around the world including Saudi Arabia, Cameroon, and Washington, DC. Currently, he works in documentary filmmaking with a small independent production company, Creativity in Motion/Stage Door Art. He also works independently as a musician. His experience with government and filmmaking spurred an interest in researching political messaging in children’s film. He is excited to attend Columbia Journalism School, where he plans to hone his writing and researching skills with a view to pursue a career in academic research and consulting.
Rose See
Rose See's research interests include the sociology of knowledge, digital culture, populism, technology, and journalism. Currently, Rose is researching alt-tech platforms and conservative media influencers. She is using qualitative methods to explore how news producers and consumers narrate and understand contemporary politics. Previously, Rose earned her BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Swarthmore College, where she researched the hermeneutic practices of the early QAnon community. Prior to starting her PhD, Rose worked in the legal industry.
Ben Kodres-O'Brien
Ben’s main research interests include energy, political economy, and the history of technology. He is working on a dissertation about the electric power mix. Before joining the Ph.D. program in Communications at Columbia, Ben worked as a software developer for the Washington Post, and as a data analyst for The New School. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Philosophy, both from Virginia Tech, as well as a Master’s degree in Liberal Studies from The New School for Social Research.
Ali Raj
Ali researches the political economy of cultural production in Pakistan. He is particularly interested in patronage systems, technologies of reproduction, informality and piracy within the country's music industry. Previously, he was a Postgraduate Reporting Fellow at Columbia Journalism Investigations where he partnered with the Los Angeles Times and the Center for Public Integrity on projects surrounding the impact of nuclear radiation on the singing voice in the Marshall Islands, and climate-related public health epidemics in the United States. Ali holds an M.A. Arts and Culture from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has experience in television, newspaper and magazine journalism in Pakistan.
Alexandria Selman
Alexandria’s research interest is cultural and gender communication in the South. Specifically, her work focuses on how gender dynamics enforced through culture influence sexual violence response and prevention in her home state of Alabama. Prior to beginning her Ph.D., she received a M.A. in Liberal Studies from Duke University and a B.A. in Communication from The University of Alabama.
Joanna Arcieri
Joanna's research focuses on tabloid journalism as well as celebrity news and gossip. Her dissertation uses the career of Britney Spears to examine the evolution of celebrity news and tabloids. Specifically, she is studying the #FreeBritney movement and the role of fans as journalists within the movement. Before joining the Ph.D. program, she worked on political campaigns in Hudson County, NJ, and as a freelance journalist. She advised and helped launch the Jersey City Times, a local news startup, in 2019. Her work has appeared on Buzzfeed and Jersey Digs. She holds an M.A. in Media Studies from The New School and a B.A. in Film Studies from Mount Holyoke College.
Adelina Yankova
Adelina’s research centers on the role college journalists play in news production and combatting “news deserts.” Specifically, she studies college newspapers through an ethnographic lens, examining student journalists’ views of journalism ethics and responsibilities, objectivity, the changing news landscape, and mounting financial challenges. She is also interested in students’ First Amendment rights and issues of censorship and freedom of speech on college campuses. Prior to joining Columbia’s Ph.D. Communications program, Adelina worked in the Wisconsin State Legislature, where she managed constituent relations, researched and helped write legislation. She holds a B.A. degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.A. in communications from Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism.