LJ Connolly

LJ Connolly is a PhD student in Texts and Technology at the University of Central Florida, where their research sits at the intersection of feminist technoscience, critical data studies, and digital rhetoric. Their work examines how classification systems and data infrastructures encode normative assumptions — with particular focus on gender data governance, health surveillance, and the rhetorical work of commemorative silencing. They are especially interested in the ways that seemingly neutral bureaucratic categories enact harm on marginalized communities, and in response, they are passionate about designing and building systems that are more accessible and inclusive.

LJ holds a BA in Writing from the University of Tampa and an MA in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of South Florida, where their thesis examined how dating app interfaces fail gender nonconforming lesbian users, and how they find creative ways to reclaim agency. They have further pursued their studies at Oxford and Cambridge, and their scholarly work has taken them across disciplines — from rhetorical genre studies and feminist theory to UX research and digital humanities. Their creative writing has appeared in The Ekphrastic Review, Bending Genres, and Bullets into Bells, reflecting a long-standing commitment to creative and scholarly work as complementary rather than competing practices.

Outside the academy, LJ serves as UX Research Manager for a nonprofit dedicated to maternal health resources, where they lead participant research and help translate community needs into actionable design decisions. When they're not doing that, you can find them in their cottage in Lakeland, Florida, surrounded by five cats, an ever-expanding plant collection, and whatever pottery project is currently drying on the wheel.