Rhonda N. McEwen is a Professor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information and the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology (ICCIT). Her work bridges Social and new media Human-machine communication Mobile learning and cognition Special education technology domains. With a PhD in Information (University of Toronto), MSc in Telecommunications (University of Colorado), and MBA in Information Technology (City University, London), she combines technical and social science perspectives. Her research focuses on Emerging media and cognitive informatics Eye-gaze systems for communication Virtual reality perception studies Autism and technology Human-robot trust dynamics . She holds a Canada Research Chair in Emerging Media and Communication, and her work has been featured by 60 Minutes (USA/Australia) and Toronto Star . Recent publications explore VR-based gene regulation simulations and mobile device impacts on education . Notably, her team's eye-gaze technology research (2021) demonstrates how these systems enable communication for children with complex needs. She actively mentors graduate students in projects ranging from home companion robots to mobile communication in autism education .










