Whitney Pow
Media, Culture, and Communication
New York University
About Professor Whitney Pow
Professor Whitney Pow serves as an Assistant Professor in the Media, Culture, and Communication department at New York University, a prestigious institution recognized for its innovative research and cultural scholarship. The Media, Culture, and Communication department is renowned for its commitment to exploring the intersections of technology, society, and identity, making it a leading environment for critical inquiry. With a diverse faculty and a vibrant academic community, NYU fosters an atmosphere conducive to interdisciplinary collaboration, allowing students and scholars alike to engage deeply with contemporary media issues, particularly in the realms of gender and sexuality studies.
🧬Research Focus
Professor Pow's research significantly contributes to the fields of transgender media studies, trans of color critique, and queer theory, while also delving into media and video game history, software studies, and critical science and technology studies (STS). Their work emphasizes the historical impact of trans programmers and game designers, illuminating how these figures have challenged prevailing computational systems and critiqued institutional structures. By centering trans experiences within software studies, their research uncovers the complexities of documentation, surveillance, and normalization in interactions with media technologies, paving the way for innovative approaches to understanding identity and governance in contemporary digital landscapes.
🎓Student Fit & Career
Graduate students interested in working with Professor Pow would thrive in a collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment that values critical thinking and creativity. Ideal candidates would possess a background in media studies, gender studies, or related fields and demonstrate a passion for exploring the intersections of technology, culture, and identity. With Professor Pow's academic mentorship, PhD students can develop robust research portfolios that prepare them for a variety of career paths, including academia, media production, digital humanities, and policy advocacy, equipping them to influence the future of media and cultural discourse.
Research Areas
Rating Breakdown
Reviews (1)
I worked with Whitney on archival research during a short visiting fellowship. Supervision was generous with reading suggestions and source leads; critique focused on narrative framing and marginal histories. This environment suits scholars working at the intersection of queer/trans media history and computational archives.
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