The University of Iowa Libraries’ Digital Scholarship & Publishing Studio has appointed Deborah Elizabeth Whaley as the Studio’s senior scholar. Serving as the Studio’s faculty liaison to campus, Whaley will aid the UI Libraries’ efforts to foster collaborations with UI faculty, students, and staff who produce or engage with digital scholarship, research, and new media pedagogy. As the Studio’s senior scholar, Whaley brings skill in imagining new futures for the digital humanities.

Whaley, who is a professor of American studies and African American studies at the UI, focuses her teaching and research on the histories, theories, and methods of studying American cultures in a transnational framework, comparative ethnic studies, black cultural studies, popular culture, visual arts, and critical theory. An artist, curator, and writer, Whaley has published original art and poetry, as well as articles on social movements, popular culture, fine art, documentary photography, and film.