Our Team

Amelia Acker
Associate Professor

Amelia Acker is an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin in the School of Information. Her research on data archives, cultures of computing, and preservation has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Acker’s current research focuses on cultures of mobile computing, emerging digital preservation models, data literacy, data durability, and metadata standards for exchange between private and public archives.

Rachel Sung
Research Intern

Rachel Sung is a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in Human-Computer Interaction. She has a strong interest in data visualization and UX research. Currently, she works as a research assistant on the SIM Card Archive project, utilizing OCR technology to convert scans for archival purposes.

Rebecca Kern
Research Intern

Rebecca Kern is a senior undergraduate student pursuing her BA in Linguistics, Sociology, and Informatics. Her interests include online identities, Human-Computer Interaction, and Ethical AI. She is currently working as a research assistant on the SIM Card Archive project.

Akhil Adavi

Doctoral Research Fellow

Krishna Akhil Kumar Adavi is a graduate student at the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on the platform economy, and technology startups in India

Yubing Tian

Doctoral Candidate

Yubing Tian is a PhD Candidate at the University of Washington’s Information School. Her research interests include data infrastructures and visualization studies.

MiriYam Judd
Research Intern

MiriYam Judd is an information studies graduate student from New Haven, Connecticut. They enjoy reading, her cats, and hope to work as an archivist after graduation.

Ty Chaney
Research Intern

Ty Chaney is a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin currently pursuing dual Masters’ in Information Studies and English with a background in media studies, academic librarianship, and the arts. Ty is interested in preservation, archives, and narrative in digital media with a focus on histories of technology and digital culture. Ty’s current work includes digitization, interactive storytelling, and development of the SIM Card Archive.

Sarika Sharma

Postdoctoral Fellow

Sarika is now an Assistant Professor at Middlebury College. She was a postdoctoral fellow on the Afterlives Project with Dr. Acker and Dr. Finn. She recently received her PhD from the School of Information at Syracuse University. Her dissertation examined the institutional effects of the Report on the Blue-Ribbon Advisory Panel on Cyberinfrastructure established by the National Science Foundation in 2003 using theories of institutionalization and institutional logics to explain how data integration became a legitimate practice in the field of ecology. She is interested in data polices and their intended and unintended outcomes.

Arlo Obregon

BA’23

Arlo is an undergraduate History student at the University of Texas. His interests include digitization, revision practices in archives, and accessibility in information science. He is currently working on a digital asset archiving project with the Texas Freedom Network and a children’s book with Robin Davis of the Bullock Texas State History Museum.

Zahir Shaikh

BS ‘23

Zahir Shaikh is a senior Psychology major at the University of Texas at Austin and an undergraduate research assistant on the Afterlives Project. He is interested in data analytics and information systems.

Rishi Dhaka
MSIS ‘21

Elena Gonzales Melinger
MSIS ‘22

Elena is a Master’s student at the iSchool at the University of Texas. She is passionate about data, instruction, and archives. She has previously worked as a research analyst at Rice University and as part of the Reference staff at Houston Public Library’s Central Library.

Bethany Radcliff
MSIS + MA English ‘21

Bethany Radcliff will graduate from the University of Texas with an M.S. in information studies and an M.A. in English in May 2021, and her interests focus broadly on digital humanities, metadata, memory, sound, and accessibility. She likes to think about the way ontologies and infrastructures shape information and identities. Bethany currently works at the Harry Ransom Center, and for the AudiAnnotate project.

Chloe Santiago

MSIS ’22

Chloe is pursuing an M.S. in Information Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her interests include critical pedagogy, accessibility, social infrastructure, intellectual freedom, and literacy. This year, she is co-facilitating the SCISCHOOL thought club.

Lucy Flamm
Independent Researcher

Lucy received her MSIS from the University of Texas at Austin. Previously, she has worked to execute data-driven digital repository initiatives and archive historical materials for UT.

Anne C. Loos
MSIS ‘20

Anne received her MSIS from the University of Texas at Austin. Her interests include metadata, pop culture, and media preservation. For her Capstone, she developed a digitization priority plan for audiovisual materials in the Abbie Hoffman Papers at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. She is an audiovisual archivist in North Dakota.

Julia Sufrin
MSIS ‘20

Julia Sufrin is a writer and independent researcher who received her MSIS from the University of Texas at Austin. She has written about artificial intelligence, mental health, and the sociocultural impact of emerging technologies.