Alexandra Ketchum

Dr. Alexandra Ketchum is an Associate Professor at McGill University's Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies (IGSF), where she serves as Director of the Just Feminist Tech and Scholarship Lab. Previously holding the position of Faculty Lecturer from 2018-2023, her interdisciplinary work bridges food history, environmental studies, technological history, LGBTQ+ studies, and gender studies. She has established herself as a leading scholar in feminist and queer foodways, digital activism, and accessible scholarship.

Her research interests focus on the intersections of technology, queer history, food, feminism, and environmentalism within 20th century social movements in North America. Ketchum's scholarship explores how marginalized communities have used business creation and communication technologies to imagine and build utopian spaces, particularly examining lesbian and feminist restaurants as sites of cultural and political significance. She has developed innovative approaches to public scholarship, creating accessible versions of her academic work through podcasts, zines, and digital exhibits.

Ketchum's publications reveal a consistent trajectory exploring how marginalized communities create spaces of resistance and belonging. Her work spans from historical studies of feminist restaurants to contemporary examinations of LGBTQ+ cyber activism and the relationship between feminist ethics and artificial intelligence. These publications demonstrate her commitment to documenting how oppressed communities have historically leveraged technology and business creation for social change.

• 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics (2021)
• Supported by multi-year SSHRC Insight Grant
• Recipient of ASPP award for scholarly work

As an educator and mentor, Ketchum has supervised numerous student researchers and developed innovative teaching materials, including a podcast version of her Introduction to Feminist and Social Justice Studies course. She has secured significant grant funding, including SSHRC Partnership Grants for collaborative projects like The Illustrated Guide to Queer Food with Recipes! She has founded several important resources including The Feminist Restaurant Project, The Historical Cooking Project, and the LGBTQIA2S+ Archives Directory.

Ketchum maintains active laboratory and project spaces including the Just Feminist Tech and Scholarship Lab, where she and her team develop resources for feminist digital scholarship. Her work extends beyond academia through community engagement with organic farming initiatives and food justice projects, reflecting her commitment to connecting scholarly work with practical activism.