Each year, the University of Ottawa’s Office of the Vice President, Research and Innovation annually honors researchers who engage in innovative and equitable knowledge mobilization activities with significant local, national, and international impact. This year, they celebrated the work and engagement of Dr Elizabeth Dubois, the University Research Chair in Politics, Communication and Technology, an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication in the Faculty of Arts and a Faculty member of the Centre for Law Technology and Society at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Dubois engages with media to support news coverage of threats to election integrity, raise awareness of key issues among the public and policymakers, and increase media and civic literacy.
Knowledge mobilization involves sharing research between academics and knowledge users to drive societal change. Dr. Dubois has been at the forefront of reshaping our understanding of disinformation in Canada. Through her Digital Media Ecosystem Research Challenge (DERC), she investigates how technology influences our political landscape and election integrity. Her efforts culminated in a conference in 2019 that brought together researchers, policymakers, civil society, and journalists in U.S and U.K to create a shared understanding and build connections that can drive positive change.
Her open-access report, now utilized in classrooms and policy discussions across Canada, serves as a benchmark for evaluating the country’s media landscape. Additionally, Dr Dubois launched the Wonks and War Roomspodcast, creating a unique dialogue on political communication theories with insights from practitioners on the ground. She also leads the Pol Comm Tech Lab, a multi-disciplinary research group focused on exploring the intersections of politics, communication, and technology.
In a world where digital threats to election integrity are more significant than ever, Dr Elizabeth Dubois emphasizes the importance of collaboration, communication, and media literacy to safeguard our democratic processes. “Globally, more people will be heading to the polls this year than ever before, so it is critical that we pre-emptively develop tools and skills that reduce the impact of propaganda and disinformation on voters,” she says.
Congratulations to Dr. Elizabeth Dubois for these remarkable contributions that are advancing crucial conversations to strengthen our society.