Dr. Colin Maclay

Professor

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Biography

Colin Maclay specializes in understanding and creating conditions for innovation and change, focusing on collaboratively and creatively engaging with wicked problems in media, technology, and culture. He is a committed collaborator and connects scholarship with practice, bridging disciplines and sectors while challenging assumptions and hierarchies. His work spans diverse topics including innovation, democracy, sustainability, media, and learning, with a particular emphasis on under-resourced communities. Maclay has explored issues across various settings, such as the U.S. Census, the Nigerian film industry, libraries, climate change, environmental justice, higher education, and popular culture. He serves as a Research Professor of Communication and the Director of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Innovation Lab. Maclay has co-created numerous initiatives including guides for the Civic Media Fellowship Program and podcasts through the Media Socio-Technical Systems (MASTS) research group. He also has a history of leading digital transformation initiatives at Harvard University, aimed at understanding and shaping the digital transformation affecting business and society through collaborative research and teaching.

Research Interests

Experience

Faculty Associate

2010-01-01 — Present

Berkman Klein Center • Cambridge, MA

Contributes to research and initiatives at the intersection of technology and society.

Managing Director

2003-01-01 — 2010-12-01

Berkman Center for Internet & Society • Cambridge, MA

Led various projects and discussions on the impact of digital media and information technologies.

Courses

Internet Society: Technologies Politics Control Digital Democracy

Requirements for Harvard University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
TOEFL
Total
Required:80
IELTS
Overall
Required:6.5
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in a technical or quantitative field
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Transcripts
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

Administered by the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).