Chelsea Peterson-Salahuddin

Chelsea Peterson-Salahuddin is an Assistant Professor of Information at the School of Information, University of Michigan. Her research focuses on how marginalized communities, particularly Black women and queer individuals, engage with digital technologies to seek information, build communities, and challenge systemic inequities. She explores how technological infrastructure both enables and replicates barriers to equity.

She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Media, Technology, and Society from Northwestern University, and a B.A. in Political Science and Media Studies from Vassar College. Her work has been published in top journals like Critical Studies in Media Communication and New Media and Society, and she is currently completing a book on Black feminism and popular media.

Her research interests include critical digital studies, algorithmic ethics, intersectional journalism, and Black feminist theory. Notable projects address information inequity, algorithmic reparations for hate speech moderation, and the role of TikTok in social activism. She has received grants from The Russell Sage Foundation and recognition from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

As a faculty member, she advises Ph.D. students and emphasizes qualitative methods in studying digital media’s societal impacts. Her work bridges critical theory with practical solutions to address systemic biases in information systems and platforms.