About the Lab

The DHIL assists SFU researchers with the development of digital scholarship by providing consultations, training, mentoring, research software development, and technical support. We foster collaboration and interdisciplinarity across faculty and promote the development and dissemination of high-quality research that positions SFU as a world leader in digital scholarship.  

Located in the W.A.C. Bennett Library at SFU Burnaby and utilizing meeting space at the Vancouver and Surrey Campuses, the DHIL leverages the Library’s expertise in digital initiatives, unique special collections, and research skill-development programming.

See Contact the DHIL for ways to reach the Lab.

Our work in the lab is guided by a collaboratively written Charter and Code of Conduct.

Lab team

Rebecca Dowson (on leave until October 2023) is the Digital Scholarship Librarian and Library Collaborator at the DHIL. In her role, Rebecca supports researchers at all levels who are engaged with digital humanities through project consultations, digital skill development workshops, and coordinating the Library's resources in digitization and project hosting. Her research interests include the intersection of libraries and digital humanities, with a particular interest in digital cultural heritage projects, digital skill building, and new forms of scholarly publishing.

Andrew Gardener is a Developer in the DHIL. Andrew joins SFU with more than a decade of experience as a full stack developer in post-secondary teaching and learning, having previously worked as a Programmer at the UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, as a Software Developer at the Concordia University Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance, and as a Web Developer at Vanier College. Andrew has a Bachelor of Computing Science from Concordia University.

Ali Moore is covering the role of Digital Scholarship Librarian in the DHIL until October 2023. Ali supports the DHIL projects, in addition to offering consultations and facilitating workshops on DH projects and tools. Ali has an MLIS from McGill University, and since joining SFU Library in 2015, she has worked in a variety of roles, most recently as the Assistant Head of the Research Commons and Manager of the SFU Knowledge Mobilization Hub. Ali has expertise supporting student and faculty researchers with scholarly communications, knowledge mobilization, research impact, online presence, and data visualization. Ali's research interests include library assessment and scholarly publishing.

Sulan R. is the Digital Fellow, Digital Pedagogy in the DHIL. Sulan leads workshops on DH software and tools, such as Tableau, Tropy, and project management software for DH.

Joey Takeda is a Developer in the DHIL, specializing in text encoding and digital editions, digital project preservation and sustainability, minimal computing, and digital exhibits. He holds an MA in English Literature from the University of British Columbia and is currently an MLIS student at the University of Alberta. He currently sits on the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Technical Council (2023) and the TEI By Example International Advisory Committee. Before joining SFU in 2020, he worked as a programmer for a variety of digital humanities projects, including The Map of Early Modern London and Landscapes of Injustice.

Julianna Wagar is a Digital Fellow, Communications & Textual Editing in the DHIL. Julianna is currently working towards her MA in English at SFU. She is a Research Assistant for two digital humanities projects at SFU: "The Lyon in Mourning" Project and The Women's Print History Project, 1700-1836. Her MA Project centres around mapping Scottish woman travel writer Elizabeth Isabella Spence and her journey through the North Highlands of Scotland in 1816. Her broader research interests include eighteenth-century Scottish literature, Gothic women’s literature, and Scottish women’s travel writing. 

Past team members

Saba Akhyani Digital Fellow (2020–2022)

Sophie Ashton Digital Fellow (2023)

Rémi Castonguay Digital Scholarship Librarian (2019–2021)

Kenny Chakola Digital Fellow (2020)

Colette Colligan Founder & Faculty Co-Director (2016-2020)

Dogan Erisen Digital Fellow (2017–2018)

Deanna Fong Digital Fellow (2016–2017)

Sophia Han Digital Fellow (2020–2022)

Erik Hanson Digital Fellow (2017–2019)

Hannah Holtzclaw Digital Fellow (2018–2020)

Julie Jones Digital Scholarship Librarian (2021)

Michael Joyce Developer (2016-2022)

Michelle Levy Founder & Faculty Co-Director (2016-2020)

B. Luies Digital Fellow (2022 - 2023)

Kimberly O’Donnell Digital Fellow (2017–2019)

Kandice Sharren Digital Fellow (2018–2019)

Catherine Winters Web Developer (2018–2019)

Alex Xanthoudakis Digital Fellow (2019–2020)

Abdul Zahir Digital Fellow (2017)