Emma May is a critical informatics scholar researching the role of information infrastructure in activism, and the ways that technology affects movement-building practices in social movements for racial, economic, and disability justice. May has published work on community-driven practices of tech resistance and refusal, critical examinations of the contemporary discourse on artificial intelligence, digital labor, and disability activism, analyzed through the lenses of science and technology studies, political economy, feminist studies, and critical disability studies.
May’s research, teaching, and service are connected to the following overarching themes:
- Tech resistance and refusal in various grassroots movements
- Exploring information infrastructure in disability activism
- Strategies for people-centered technology in labor organizing
The above streams of research focus on developing a deeper understanding of the interconnected social, political, economic, and historical forces that shape our current information and communication environment, so that we can envision and create sociotechnical systems that might give way to better futures and a more just world.
May is a PhD candidate in Information Science at Rutgers University graduating in May 2026. May has their MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington Information School, and graduated from Barnard College with a degree in Women’s Studies and a minor in Sociology.
Previously, May has worked with organizations such as The Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Bitch Media, and The Barnard Center for Research on Women on outreach, social media marketing, and development. In addition to May’s interest in nonprofit outreach and communications, they have experience pursuing editorial projects about music and pop culture for publications such as VICE Media and SPIN.
Emma May 