Roda Siad is a PhD candidate in Communication Studies at McGill University. Her research interests are on the social and political implications of emerging technologies, particularly in the intersections between technology, data and migration. Her doctoral study examines humanitarian innovation and the implications around the use of blockchain and other emerging technologies on refugee governance in East Africa. Her interdisciplinary research is informed by perspectives from science and technology studies, critical data studies and refugee studies. Roda is a recipient of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship (2019-2022) and the IDRC International Doctoral Research Award (2022). She is also interested in documentary filmmaking and research-creation. Her award-winning media projects have been presented across Canada, the US, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the UK, the Czech Republic, and Japan. She is an alumna of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) Fellowship Programme.
She holds an MA in Media Production from Toronto Metropolitan University (formally Ryerson University) and a BA in History and English Literature from the University of Calgary.