Category Archives: Research Associates

Taien Ng-Chan is a writer and media artist whose research explores locative media sound art, “object-oriented storytelling,” place-based narratives and futurist imaginings of everyday life through immersive cinema.

Yifat Shaik is an Assistant Professor in Computational Arts in York University and an indie game developer whose focus is on creating personal autobiographical work and the use of systems, data, and game mechanics in social interaction and political activism.

Jenifer Papararo is the recently appointed Director / Curator at the Art Gallery of York University, beginning her tenure in 2020. She comes to the AGYU, from Plug Institute of Contemporary Art, Winnipeg, where she was the Executive Director. She was previously, the Curator at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver and the Program Director at Mercer Union, Toronto.

Michael Darroch is Associate Dean, Academic and Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Arts in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design at York University. He previously served as Associate Dean, Partnership Development and Interdisciplinary Studies in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Windsor, where he taught courses in media art histories, visual culture, and urban ecologies in the School of Creative Arts.

Sarah Bay-Cheng [pronounced Bay-JUNG, rhymes with “sung”] is the Dean of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design at York University. Her research focuses on the intersections among theater, performance, and media including avant-garde film and theatre history and theory, and digital technologies in contemporary performance.

As a music scholar and arts educator, Amy pursues projects which build relationships inside and outside the concert hall. She is the founding member and manager of the prairie-based Horizon String Quartet with whom she presents concert tours of interactive performances for schools across western Canada. 

Jane Tingley is an artist, curator and Assistant Professor at York University. Her studio work combines traditional studio practice with new media tools – and spans responsive/interactive installation, performative robotics, and telematically connected distributed sculptures.

Jamie Robinson is an assistant professor of Acting and Directing in the York University Theatre Department. He has been a Toronto based professional artist since 1997 as an actor, director, producer, teacher and writer.

Shital Desai is an assistant professor in the Department of Design, with research interests in human centred design, interaction design and embodied intuitive interaction. Her current research focusses on interaction design in emerging technologies such as mixed reality technologies for older adults and children.