Donya Alinejad has been researching the role of digital media in society and culture since 2007. With a background in social and cultural anthropology and a focus on social media platforms, Donya has done ethnographic field research and used mixed methods to study digital media in multiple countries. Her work has focused on social media's influence on people's experiences of spatial mobility, community formation, emotional care, and scientific knowledge communication. She is interested in theories of mediation, especially in relation to power and its negotiation between users and technologies.

Donya is currently Assistant Professor of Digital Media and Society at the Media and Culture Studies Department. She investigates how social media platforms shape public communication about scientific expertise around politically contested issues such as climate change and Covid-19. For more information, see personal website.