Kiara Childs, a Data & Society affiliate, previously served as the organization’s research editor. In that role she worked alongside D&S’s researchers to ensure rigorous editorial review of reports, primers, academic publications, and other outputs. This role was supported by the 2023 ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship.

Kiara holds a PhD from the Department of Communication at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. While at UNC, she worked as a graduate teaching instructor and communications specialist. Her own research, which has been published in Social Media + Society, explores the intersection of Black women’s digital and beauty culture.