Roderic N. Crooks

Roderic N. Crooks is an Associate Professor in the Department of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, where he examines how technology interacts with minoritized communities, particularly in educational contexts. His research focuses on the subjective nature of data aggregation in schools, the surveillance implications of edtech, and the racialized extraction of value from marginalized populations.

• Education: Ph.D. in Information Studies (UCLA, 2016); M.L.I.S. (UCLA, 2011); M.F.A. in Creative Writing (University of Iowa, 2005); B.F.A. in Visual Arts (School of Visual Arts, 1999)

Research Interests center on technology's role in racially and economically segregated schools, data-driven decision-making, and community-led technology integration. His upcoming book Access Is Capture: How Edtech Reproduces Racial Inequality (UC Press, 2024) argues that edtech benefits privileged actors while exacerbating systemic inequities.

Recent Publications analyze agonistic data practices, extractive edtech platforms, and the temporal dynamics of educational technology. His work has appeared in The Information Society, Surveillance & Society, and Science, Technology, & Human Values.

Honors include the 2019 Bren School Research Award and the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship. He serves on professional committees for the Society for Social Studies of Science and reviews for journals like Big Data & Society and Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies

Teaching & Advocacy spans roles at UC Irvine, UCLA, and CUNY. He cofounded the UC Collaboratory for Ethnographic Design and works with community groups to address digital inequality.