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. 

Before beginning her doctoral studies, Viki served as the Senior Associate Dean of Communications and Public Affairs at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. In this capacity, she oversaw the communications and events functions for the school during a period of rapid growth in enrollment and fundraising. Viki also spent 13 years with the global public relations agency, Edelman, where she served as Senior Vice President of Corporate and Public Affairs with experience spanning the agency’s Chicago, New York, and London offices.

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.