Viki Askounis Conner (she/her) is a doctoral researcher in communication studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Viki brings to her research agenda more than two decades of experience in industry, academia, and policy as a strategic communication advisor. Currently, she works under Dr. Zizi Papacharissi as the editorial assistant for the top-ranked, open access journal, Social Media + Society.

Viki’s work centers on collective meaning-making and knowledge production with particular attention to the role myths, narratives, and affect play in socio-technical processes of institutional change. Current and past projects span substantive topics of nostalgia, misinformation, and the professional knowledge cultures of public relations and public policy. 

Drawing on a background that spans the social sciences (sociology, public policy), humanities (French literature), and professional practice (public relations), she combine cultural and historical analysis with digital methods to map/trace the evolution of social formations and how collective meanings emerge within them. 

In addition to pursuing a Ph.D., Viki holds an M.A. in the social sciences with a concentration in sociology from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in public policy and French from Duke University. A downtown Chicago native, she resides in Lincoln Park with her husband and two daughters.