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Biography

​Dr. Ahmed Alrawi is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Karsh Institute Digital Technology for Democracy at the University of Virginia. He earned his PhD in Mass Communication from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at the Pennsylvania State University. He also earned his master's degree in Media Studies and a bachelor's degree in telecommunications from the Bellisario College. Additionally, he earned another bachelor’s degree from the College of Communications at Al-Mansour University in Baghdad, Iraq, where he majored in computer communcation engineering.

Alrawi’s research interests are twofold: (1) AI, Surveillance, Privacy, & the Implications of ICTs, and (2) Broadband Platform Policy and Deployment. Alrawi’s research contributes to understanding the theoretical, methodological, and empirical conversations related to the adoption, use, and effect of ICTs. His research also aims to bring attention to contemporary issues in AI, communication, and media sectors to encourage appropriate regulations and policies that benefit the public.

Alrawi’s current research centers on the following two categories: first, examining the surveillance and privacy implications of AI and information and communications technology (ICT) on individuals’ online communication activities. Second, examining the policy and deployment of rural broadband connections in the U.S. and MENA countries, specifically in terms of accessibility, affordability, and network availability.

Alrawi is fluent in Arabic, Turkish, and English and is conversant in French. He has won multiple awards, including, but not limited to, the Sidney and Helen Friedman Scholarship Endowed Award and the Graduate School Endowment Award.

 

Research Interest

  • The Implications of ICTs

  • Platforms Infrastructures 

  • Surveillance 

  • Privacy

  • Broadband Policy & Deployment

  • Qualitative Research Methods

  • Quantitative Research Method

  • Computational Social Science  

Education 

  • Doctor of Philosophy

      Communication Studies

      Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications,                                   The Pennsylvania State University (2024)

      Supervisor: Dr. Benjamin W. Cramer

      Committee: Prof. Christopher Ali, Dr. Jo                                                  Dumas, Prof. Sabine Doran

 

  • Master of Arts

      Media Studies

      Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications,                                    The Pennsylvania State University (2021)

      Thesis: A Proposal for a Law to Preserve and                                          Protect Digital Privacy for American Citizens

      Supervisor: Dr. Benjamin W. Cramer

      Committee: Prof. Patrick Parsons, Prof. Ford Risley

 

  • Bachelor of Arts

      Telecommunication

      Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications,                                    The Pennsylvania State University (2019)

 

  • Bachelor of Engineering

      Computer Communication Engineering (2012)

      AL Mansour University, Baghdad, Iraq

 

  • High School Diploma

      Almansor High School, Baghdad, Iraq (2008)

      Graduated cum laude; Trilingual [English, Arabic, French]

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles 

Publications

Alrawi, A. (2024). Hopeless Waiting and Apprehension of Missing Out: Evidence from Rural Iraq about the Cellular Broadband Policy Challenges.  Journal of Information Policy.

 

Alrawi, A. (2024). Blocking Faith: How American Muslims are Chilled through the New Anti-Statues and the Security Agencies’ Surveillance in the Era of the Digital Policing. Touru Law Review. 

 

Troy, C.; Buckley, C.; Alrawi A.; Kim, N.; Vafeiadis, M.; Overton, H. (2024). The Role of CSR in Promoting New Policy Reforms Regarding LGBTQ+ Issues. Journal of Public Relations Review.

 

Yuo, A., Min; R. Davis, D.; Zho, A.; Mitson, R.; Alrawi, A. (2024). Public Relations Meets Artificial Intelligence: Assessing Utilization and Outcomes. Journal of Public Relations Research.

 

Alrawi, A. (2023). Immigrants Are Not Felons: Legal Analysis of Immigrants' Civil Rights Chilling Effect Issues Caused by ICE's SmartLink App Surveillance.  Journal of Information Policy.

 

Alrawi, A. (forthcoming). Rural Broadband Challenges in Iraq: An Examination of the Intersection Between Rural Broadband Policy Issues and Rural Iraqi Communities' Experience Waiting for Fixed Broadband Connections. International Journal of Communication.​

 

Alrawi, A., Oz, Mustafa (under review). AI-Driven Digital Wellness: Emotional and Religious Support in Muslim Prayer Apps. Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research (JAIR).

 

Alrawi, A., Oz, Mustafa (under review). Mapping Behavioral Responses: American Muslims’ Reactions to Algorithmic Profiling in Prayer Apps. Journal of Media Law and Ethics.

 

Alrawi, A., Oz, Mustafa (under review). Navigating Identity Threats in Online Spaces: The Impact on Marginalized Identities and Political Engagement. New Media & Society.

  

Alrawi, A. (under review). Bridging the Digital Chasm: Unraveling Broadband Policy Challenges in Southeastern Turkey's Fault Line Region. Telematics and Informatics.

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Alrawi, A.; Jeong, D.; Guo, J.; Christopher, A. (under review). “It’s all the same to me”:Consumer perceptions of 5G in China, South Korea, and the United States. Telecommunication Policy.

 

Wang, R.; Forde, S., Alrawi, A.; Solis, E.; Jayakar, K. (under review). National domain name arbitration regimes: Convergence or divergence? Telecommunication Policy Journal.

Book Reviews 

  • Alrawi, A. (2023). Review of New Authoritarian Practices in the Middle East and North Africa. Surveillance & Society.

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  • Alrawi, A. (2022). Review of Fixing Stories: Local Newsmaking and International Media in Turkey and Syria., by Noah Amir Arjomand. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.

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  • Alrawi, A. (2022). Review of The Future of Digital Surveillance: Why Digital Monitoring Will Never Lose Its Appeal in a World of Algorithm-Driven AI. Surveillance & Society.

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  •  Alrawi, A.(2022).  Review of American Propaganda from the Spanish-American War to Iraq: War Stories, by   Stephen R. Brydon. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.

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  •  Alrawi, A. (2021). Review of Media and Mapping Practices in the Middle East and North Africa: Producing Space, by Alena Strohmaier and Angela Krewani. Mass Communication and Society.

Non-Peer-Reviewed Materials

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Book 

Alrawi, A. (2022). The NSA and FBI Privacy Breaches in the Digital Era, Issues and Solutions to the  Problem. Create Space Publishing LLC, Scotts Valley, CA.

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