Milena Radzikowska, MDes, PhD
Chair, School of Communication Studies; Professor, Information Design
Dr. Milena Radzikowska’s research aims to challenge existing design conventions and explore unique alternatives to complex problems. She has led several teams in digital-material remediation, with physical and immersive exhibition components. Her research is functionally feminist, and she is currently working on such “wicked” design problems as marginalisation through data display and reconciliation in post-conflict zones. Milena joined MRU in 2003.
mradzikowska@mtroyal.ca
Lauren Dwyer, PhD
Assistant Professor, Information Design
Dr. Lauren Dwyer’s research explores how emerging technologies, including algorithmic media systems, AI influenced journalism, and social robots, reshape communication, behaviour, and the public sphere. She examines how machine systems curate perception, influence cognitive autonomy, and restructure media ecosystems. Before joining Mount Royal University she was the Academic Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, where she oversaw the development of applied AI programs.
ldwyer@mtroyal.ca
Carlos Fiorentino, MDes, PhD
Assistant Professor, Information Design
Dr. Carlos Fiorentino is a Visual Communication Designer, design educator and researcher, with main interest in Design for Sustainability and Biomimicry. His current areas of research focus on biocentered design and structural colour. He taught in the Department of Art & Design and Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta, in the Design Studies program at MacEwan University , and the Department of Applied Media at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He is co-founder of the Biomimicry Alberta regional network, and Pix Design, a visual communication design studio based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
cfiorentino@mtroyal.ca
Kelsey McColgan, MEd
Assistant Professor, Information Design
Kelsey McColgan’s work is characterised by a strong commitment to civic engagement and changemaking, often through systems and service design projects that involve facilitating communities through design processes and visually synthesising information. Other areas of exploration and expertise include visual identity systems for place branding and experiential graphic design, particularly related to exhibition design and wayfinding systems. She is committed to the study of teaching and learning (SoTL) in design education.
kmccolgan@mtroyal.ca
Naureen Mumtaz, MDes, PhD
Assistant Professor, Information Design
Naureen Mumtaz’s work sits at the intersection of design for social justice, critical design, and design education. She employs human-centred participatory design methods to co-create community-responsive projects that tackle complex issues like intercultural understanding, inclusive education, and health equity. Her research looks at how exclusion and inequity are built into systems like education, healthcare, and data, and she focuses on designing meaningful, accessible alternatives in collaboration with communities. Her work is informed by a deep commitment to decolonizing and humanizing how we communicate and share knowledge, especially in diverse cultural contexts. As a design educator, the scholarship of teaching and learning is central to her practice. She’s currently serving as an invited co-editor for the Societies journal’s special issue, “Inside-Out: Critical Design Thinking for Transformative Social Innovation.
nmumtaz@mtroyal.ca
Gilbert V Wilkes IV, PhD
Associate Professor, Information Design
Dr. Gilbert Wilkes specializes in the study of the production, composition, distribution, and the use of text in various media conditions, especially online and technical communication. He also studies and teaches rhetoric and how we can use language to both inform and to connect. Both in his research and in the classroom, Gilbert Wilkes uses computer-assisted tools for text analysis, from concordancers to semantic-network visualizers to topic resolution tools.
gwilkes@mtroyal.ca
Information Design faculty bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom.
Connected to Industry: All ID faculty members have worked extensively in the disciplines they teach; and many continue their industry involvement through participation in local and national associations and conferences and as adjudicators, evaluators, commentators, and consultants.
Researchers and Authors: Many of our faculty have well-established research agendas and mentor interested students towards graduate studies.
Committed Teachers: Faculty and staff members alike demonstrate a genuine commitment to the success of our students and our program, developing innovative learning materials, working directly with students, and dedicating the time and energy required to ensure that success.
Retired
- Ben Kunz, Associate Professor
- Dr. Glenn Ruhl, Professor Emeritus
- Brian Traynor, Professor Emeritus