Ria Gualano

I am a PhD Candidate at the Cornell University Department of Communication. ​Broadly, my research centers the communication of disability through technology and the arts, which I have examined through projects on disability and neurodiversity arts and disability representation through virtual reality (VR) avatar movement and appearance.

 

I am particularly interested in participatory research methods and organized the Spring 2024 "Invisible Aspects of Disability and Neurodiversity" arts exhibition at Cornell. As a 2025 Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellow, I am continuing this work through field research and an extended reality (XR) technology-integrated disability and neurodiversity arts exhibition. 

​

Prior to Cornell, I earned a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Theatre Arts from Johns Hopkins University. During my time at there, I led projects on the psychological effects of social media use and collaborated with teams on research related to memory, interpersonal relationships, and well-being. 

​

Outside of research, I enjoy fashion design and write novels that spotlight folklore and culture from my Chinese heritage. ​