DISCO Network Research Initiative

About the DISCO Network

The DISCO (Digital Inquiry, Speculation, Collaboration, and Optimism) Network is an interdisciplinary research collective housed within the University of Michigan's Digital Studies Institute (DSI). Supported by the Mellon Foundation, DISCO brings together a national network of scholars committed to envisioning more equitable, anti-racist, and anti-ableist digital futures.

Through its research labs, collaborative projects, and public programming, DISCO advances critical scholarship at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, disability, technology, and social justice. The network brings together humanistic, social scientific, and technoscientific approaches to challenge digital inequalities and imagine more inclusive technological futures.

Research and Collaboration

Led by Principal Investigator Lisa Nakamura (University of Michigan), the DISCO Network includes three research labs led by Co-Principal Investigators Rayvon Fouché (Northwestern University), M. Remi Yergeau (Carleton University), and Catherine Knight Steele (University of Maryland, College Park):

• Black Communication and Technology (BCaT) Lab: Exploring the intersections of Black communities, communication, and digital technologies.

• Digital Accessible Futures (DAF) Lab: Advancing critical approaches to disability, accessibility, and digital futures.

• Humanities and Technoscience (HAT) Lab: Bringing humanistic inquiry into conversation with science and technology studies.

Together, these labs contribute distinct perspectives on technology, identity, and social justice and advance DISCO's broader mission of challenging technological inequalities, supporting critical digital scholarship, and fostering collaboration across disciplines and institutions.

Opportunities to Get Involved

The DISCO Network welcomes scholars, students, practitioners, and others interested in exploring the intersections of technology, identity, and social justice. Through its interdisciplinary research community and public programming, DISCO offers a variety of ways to connect, collaborate, and engage with critical digital studies.

• Research and Collaboration: Connect with a national network of interdisciplinary scholars committed to fostering intellectual exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration, and more inclusive futures for digital research. Explore open-access research and opportunities to engage in collaborative research across the DISCO Network and its three labs.

• Mentorship and Professional Development: Build relationships with faculty and emerging scholars through mentorship, networking, and professional development initiatives. The DISCO Network Affiliate Program is an annual mentorship program open to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and other early-career scholars.

• Workshops and Public Programming: Attend panel discussions, lectures, symposia, and workshops hosted at the DSI and the DISCO Network labs. All DISCO Network programming explores pressing questions about technology, identity, and digital justice and is open to the public. DISCO Network events hosted at the DSI have opportunities for graduate students to connect with our speakers. 

Stay Connected

Visit the DISCO Network website to learn more about its research initiatives, upcoming events, and opportunities for involvement.

Join the conversation! Subscribe to the DISCO Network mailing list and follow DISCO on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Bluesky to stay informed about upcoming programming, research initiatives, and opportunities to engage.