Tieja Thomas holds a Ph.D. in Education from Concordia University (Montreal, QC, Canada). In her work as a researcher, educator, and humanist, she carries a belief that the complex, real-life problems that increasingly characterize many 21st century societies need to be addressed from an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective: one that pays attention to where such phenomena as cultural pluralism, global economics, technological innovation, human security, and human capacity intersect.

Dr. Thomas’ primary research program lies at the intersection of citizenship education and educational technology. Specifically, she explores how such socio-political phenomena as hate, violence, and oppression resulting from difference are manifested and negotiated in online environments. Her doctoral research was awarded several accolades and monetary prizes, including one Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Doctoral Research Fellowship and one Concordia University Faculty of Arts and Science Graduate Fellowship.

Currently, Dr. Thomas works as a Senior Policy Analyst with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. She is also affiliated with the Someone Project, a research program aimed at building curricula for learning across the lifespan to prevent and combat hate appearing in online environments.

For several years, Dr. Thomas has taught graduate-level social scientific research methods courses (quantitative, qualitative). Other areas of teaching expertise include: methodologies of Internet research, education and (in)equity, education and diversity, sociology of education, and technology and society. As an educator, she aspires to create a dynamic and learning-centered pedagogical environment that encourages learners to challenge their assumptions and taken-for-granted ways of seeing and being in the world.

Outside of academia, she is a Canadian, gluten-free, dancer, runner, yogi, gardener, amateur photographer, dog-lover, wine-lover, nerd, youngest child, and Virgo.