51吃瓜

Alex Gon莽alves believes a vibrant press is crucial to the future of democratic societies. He also knows the foundation of a dynamic media ecosystem is created in the classroom. 

For that reason, it鈥檚 been his goal to work in journalism education since Gon莽alves left the newsroom as a science reporter and began his academic journey more than a decade ago.

鈥淚 am motivated by the thought of contributing to the education of the next generation of journalists and communicators,鈥� Gon莽alves said.

This fall, he joins the College 51吃瓜 as a new assistant professor in the Department of Journalism. 

Gon莽alves, who received a PhD in communication from Columbia University and a master鈥檚 degree in comparative media studies from MIT, will be teaching Journalism 102: Surviving Social Media. 

At both universities, Gon莽alves studied the role of social media in the emergence of new cultural paradigms鈥攁 subject that continues to be a part of his research to help 鈥渋nform the policies that shape the role of digital platforms.鈥�

In addition to teaching, Gon莽alves is also passionate about his research, which focuses on the intersection of computer science and social communication. 

When he realized the College 51吃瓜 would offer him the opportunity to teach and to continue research, he knew it was the right place for him, where he 鈥渃ould teach future journalists and communicators while advancing my research agenda in a very stimulating intellectual environment,鈥� he said.

Gon莽alves also felt a personal connection to the College 51吃瓜 as he鈥檇 always admired the late James W. Carey, a journalism professor, former director of the 51吃瓜, and former dean. Carey, a student of the media鈥檚 role in society, was an internationally recognized scholar in communications research. 

鈥淚 was exposed to [Carey鈥檚] thought on journalism at MIT. His [book] Communication as Culture: Essays on Media and Society was part of the recommended reading list for the degree in comparative media studies,鈥� he said. 鈥淟ater, I joined the PhD program he founded and infused with his vision at Columbia Journalism School.鈥�

After receiving a bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer science in 2002, Gon莽alves worked as a software developer in Brazil for eight years. He got a second bachelor鈥檚 in social communication and worked at a Brazilian newspaper as a science journalist for four years.

In 2011, Gon莽alves received the Visionary Journalist Fellowship, a $55,000 prize toward a master鈥檚 degree in communication abroad. The following year, he won a Person of the Year Fellowship, a $10,000 award given by the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce to young professionals pursuing graduate studies in the U.S. 

Eventually, Gon莽alves began to focus on academia鈥攖eaching numerous courses in data science, public speaking, journalism ethics, and science reporting鈥攁nd research, using computational methods to study digital communication. 

His focus on understanding social dynamics through data-driven insights helped him obtain an $82,500 Brown Institute Magic Grant for the development of a platform to make defense contracting data searchable by journalists and transparency activists. 

Currently, Gon莽alves is working on turning his dissertation into a book, with plans to publish in the U.S. and Brazil, which examines the role of social media in the rise of the New Right in Brazil.

Though his roles have varied throughout his career鈥攆rom software developer and reporter to scholar and educator鈥攖he interplay of communication and technology, and a desire to share knowledge with others, have been common threads. 

鈥淚 believe education is a privileged space for real communication. I love seeing my students making use, in practical settings, of the knowledge that I shared with them,鈥� Gon莽alves said. 鈥淥ccasionally, I get emails from former students of mine telling me that something I shared with them has become very useful in their professional lives. That makes me very happy.鈥�