Vass Bednar

Vass Bednar serves as an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, at McMaster University. Their teaching portfolio includes core courses for the Master of Public Policy in Digital Society program such as Capstone (PUBPOL 705), Data Analysis I and II, Leadership series, and Digital Society and Public Policy (ARTSSCI 4DS3), with continuous instructional engagement since 2021 across foundational policy curriculum.

Research interests center on public policy intersections with digital transformation, emphasizing competition regulation in data-driven markets, gig economy labor dynamics, and societal impacts of platform capitalism. Key investigations address digital resiliency (evident in CrowdStrike outage analysis), children's vulnerability to manipulative app design, and equitable economic restructuring, bridging political science, economics, and technology governance through policy-relevant scholarship.

Recent publications (2022-2023) demonstrate consistent focus on translating academic insights into actionable policy frameworks, covering competition law in Canadian digital markets, child protection mechanisms, economic inequality diagnostics, urban planning critiques, and work culture evolution. This output predominantly appears in public-facing media and policy commentary formats, reflecting direct engagement with contemporary governance challenges.

No scientific awards are documented in available institutional records, though scholarly contributions are featured in McMaster University news analyses regarding tech outage implications and gig platform regulation gaps requiring provincial competition law intervention.

Teaching responsibilities constitute a significant professional commitment, encompassing technical skill development (data analysis, coding) and policy application across multiple program cohorts. Bednar's educational role supports capacity-building for future policy professionals navigating digital society complexities, particularly within the Master of Public Policy in Digital Society cooperative program structure.