MC Forelle

About

MC Forelle is an assistant professor in Engineering & Society at the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. Their work broadly examines the intersection of law, technology, and culture, with particular interests in materiality, sustainability, and practices of resistance and change. Currently, their research centers on the world of software-enhanced automotive technology, where they interrogate how these emerging systems are frustrating longstanding conventions of repair, maintanence, and modification. This includes close examinations of repair training and labor, automotive aftermarkets, and the legal regimes that protect these spaces.

They received their PhD in Communication from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, where their dissertation examined how copyright presents a legal challenge to car owners and mechanics attempting to do their own repairs, and how those communities have responded to that challenge. After graduating, they accepted a Cornell Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, and was the first fellow to be based at Cornell Tech in New York City. They have an MA in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University, and a BS in Film, TV, and Radio from Boston University. Their past work has explored the world of credit default swaps in finance, interactive music videos online, and policies of diversity ownership in broadcast media. Born in Venezuela, they now live in Charlottesville with their partner, kids, and dog named Dr. Waffles.

Education

B.S. Boston University, 2007

M.A. New York University, 2013

Ph.D. University of Southern California, 2019

Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow Cornell University, 2019-2022