Rob McMahon, PhD

Area of Study / Keywords

Community informatics; digital media and infrastructures; digital literacy; communication policy and regulation; community engagement

---

About

Dr. Rob McMahon is an Associate Professor in the Media & Technology Studies Unit and the Department of Political Science. He holds a BA (History and Creative Writing) from the University of Victoria, a MJ (Masters of Journalism) from the University of British Columbia, and a PhD (Communication) from Simon Fraser University. His PhD Dissertation, a community-engaged research project highlighting the digital self-determination of Indigenous Peoples, received a Dean's Convocation Medal. Prior to joining the University of Alberta in 2015, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher with the First Nations Innovation Project at the University of New Brunswick and co-founded the First Mile Connectivity Consortium, a national nonprofit association of Indigenous technology organizations that is actively engaged in government policy and regulatory consultations focused on Indigneous-led digital inclusion and equity. Dr. McMahon teaches undergraduate courses in Media Studies and Political Science, as well as graduate courses in the Master of Arts in Communication and Technology (MACT) program. In 2020, he received the Killam Accelerator Research award from the University of Alberta, which is granted to early career faculty members for their exceptional research output and the impact of their scholarly activity.

---

Research

Dr. McMahon’s transdisciplinary, community-engaged research focuses on the development, adoption, and use of broadband and internet technologies by rural, Northern, and Indigenous communities. His approach involves working with communities to ensure that their voices are heard in all stages of research, from ideation to outcomes. He and his partners regularly contribute to digital policy and regulation, and are involved in codesigning digital technologies and teaching/learning resources in ways that meet the desires and interests of involved communities. 

Dr. McMahon's research, teaching, and community engagement work is supported by funders including the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (Insight grant), the University of Alberta's Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, the Internet Society's Beyond the Net program, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority's Community Investment program, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's Digital Literacy Exchange Program, and Indigenous Services Canada. 

Dr. McMahon's research and teaching interests include: community-based technology development; community informatics; digital divides and digital inclusion; Indigenous, rural and Northern communities and ICT; communications policy and regulation; and digital literacy. He is particularly interested in community-based and participatory research and practice.

Current research projects include:

2011 - present: First Mile Connectivity Consortium (Canada) -- Working with First Nations technology organizations to develop policy and regulation to support Indigenous broadband in Canada.

2018 - present: DigitalNWT (NWT) -- Using a ‘train the trainer’ approach, DigitalNWT equips a team of community-based instructors with the skills to offer digital literacy training in communities across the NWT. 

2017 - present: Piikani Cultural and Digital Literacy Camp Program (AB) -- Collaborating with Elders and educators in Piikani Nation to use digital technology to engage youth and preserve knowledge and history.

Past projects include:

2016 - 2018: SweetgrassAR (AB) -- Exploring Indigenous-Settler Relations through Augmented Reality storytelling with Dr. Diana Steinhauer and Stewart Steinhauer from Saddle Lake Cree Nation.

2017 - 2018: Digital Literacy Workshops with Gwich'in Tribal Council (NWT) -- Researching innovation in Gwich’in contexts through workshops and the creation of open educational resources that focus on the development, sustainability, and use of digital technologies.

2015 - 2019: Digital Futures (AB) -- Shaping rural broadband in Alberta and Understanding Community Broadband: The Alberta Broadband Toolkit (with Dr. Michael McNally and Dr. Dinesh Rathi, School of Library and Information Studies)

2016 - 2017 : Community Leadership Mapping Project (with Dr. Mary Beckie and Dr. Kevin Jones)

2016 - 2017: Technology Stewardship to Promote ICT Adoption in Sri Lanka (with Dr. Gordon Gow)

---

Teaching

Dr. McMahon teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in communications policy, the political economy of media, research design, strategic communication, community engagement, and digital media.

Graduate student supervision is through the MA in Communications and Technology (MACT) program. Dr. McMahon is interested in working with students on community-engaged research projects related to communication and technology, communication policy/regulation, digital literacy, and political economy of communication. 

COMM 509 - Advanced Seminar in Research Design

Advanced seminar on qualitative and quantitative approaches for conducting research in communications and technology. This course provides students with in depth study of research design and guides them in preparation for commencing their culminating project. Offered by asynchronous Internet communication. Restricted to MACT course-based students. Prerequisite: COMM 501 or consent of the department.

---

MST 310 - Political Economy of Media

Theoretical and cultural issues surrounding the political-economic structures, institutions, and power relations of media. Prerequisite: MST 100.

---

POL S 298 - Topics in Political Science

A variable content course, which may be repeated if topics vary. Prerequisite: POL S 101 or Department consent.

---

Browse more courses taught by Rob McMahon

Rob McMahon, Murat Akçayır, Brenda Norris, Lyle Fabian

Telecommunications Policy. 2025 March; 10.1016/j.telpol.2025.102912

---

Rob McMahon, Amy C Mack, Herman Many Guns

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. 2024 December; 10.1177/11771801241274775

---

Rob McMahon, Michael B McNally, Eric Nitschke, Kyle Napier, María Alvarez Malvido, Murat Akçayir

Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. 2023 November; 10.1093/jcmc/zmad042

---

McMahon, R., Akcayir, M., McNally, M.B. & Okheena, S.

International Journal of Communication. 2021 November; 15 (1):5229-5251

---

McMahon, R., Hudson, H.E. & Fabian, L.

The Shifting Terrain: Nonprofit Policy Advocacy in Canada. 2017 January;

---

McMahon, R., LaHache, T., & Whiteduck, T.

International Indigenous Policy Journal. 2015 January; 6 (3)

---

McMahon, R.

International Journal of Communication. 2014 January; 8 (1)

---

McMahon, R., Almond, A., Steinhauer, D., Steinhauer, S., Whistance-Smith, G., Janes, D.P.

International Journal of Communication. 13 (1):4530-4552

---

View additional publications