Helen Hayes is a doctoral student in Communication Studies at McGill University (supervisor: Darin Barney). Informed by science and technology studies, infrastructure studies, and environmental humanities, her research examines the material histories of oil media, emphasizing how Artificial Intelligence and other information technologies are used in oil prospecting, extraction, refining, and transport in Canada. This research is supported by both FRQSC (2020-2025) and SSHRC (2022-2024) Doctoral Fellowship Awards.
Prior to pursuing her doctoral degree, Helen completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto (Victoria College, 2018) and a Master’s degree in Communication Studies at McGill University (2020). As a Policy Fellow at the Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy, Helen researches platform governance and international tech policy. She is also a co-investigator on the Electronic Elections Project, under contract with McGill-Queens University Press.
Helen can be contacted at helen.hayes [at] mail.mcgill.ca or on Twitter at @helen__hayes.