bio
Alex Halavais (HAL-a-vay) is a social architect, interested in ways of helping form a culture of creativity, freedom, and justice. He helps organizations and businesses use social computing and communications–including blogs and wikis–to better reach their objectives.
He is an assistant professor at Quinnipiac University, where he teaches in a masters program in interactive communications. He formerly directed a masters program in informatics at the University at Buffalo, and was Research Director for the New Media Research Lab at the University of Washington. He has worked in marketing for a large financial services firm, designed simulations for NASA, worked as a public school teacher in Japan, and in city government as a budget analyst and planner. Alex has published articles and book chapters on the role of computing in social change, particularly in politics, journalism, education, and geography. He has also edited an anthology of writings on cyberpornography and society, and has just completed a book entitled Search Engine Society. He received a Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Washington, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Irvine.
In his spare time he likes reading, film, travel, eating, and learning. His perfect day would include spending the day with his partner, a great film, a good meal, a curvy drive in a fast car, a cold margarita on a warm beach with a nice breeze. His dream is to someday have his own island school.
Alex currently lives in Manhattan with his partner, Jamie, and an English Mastiff named Finnegan.
(Photo is by Robert Kirkham for the Buffalo News.)