Meghan Dowell

Meghan Dowell is an Assistant Professor in the School of Information Science at the University of Kentucky. She holds a PhD in Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (2023), an MS from Long Island University (2012), and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin. Her research focuses on data privacy in educational technologies, algorithmic bias, and the ethical use of learning management systems (LMS). Dowell leads the 2025 grant-funded project 'Populist Women’s Health Information, Femtech Apps, and Surveillance Capitalism-OVPR Curate Program,' exploring intersections of health tech and data exploitation.

Her work critically examines student privacy awareness in platforms like Canvas, the transparency of algorithmic functions in library systems, and the ethical implications of LMS data collection. Recent publications span topics from academic freedom challenges to Wikipedia’s educational potential. Dowell has advised no formal graduate students but collaborates actively on interdisciplinary grants and pedagogical initiatives.