Hi,

 

I’m Grant.

​​

I’m a PhD student in media studies at Rutgers University in Jersey.

​​

I research the intersection of technology and culture.​​​

​​

I mean culture as in Raymond Williams’ understanding of this exceptionally complex term — as a ‘whole way of life.'​

​​​​

I mean technology as that way of life 'made durable,’ and thus 'politics by other means,' to co-opt Bruno Latour’s language.

​​​​​

I mix qualitative/interpretive methods, and draw from science and technology studies (STS), sociology, cultural studies, and semiotics.

​​​​

My research fits in three buckets 🪣​​​​​​​​​🪣​​​​​​​​​🪣​​​​​​​​​

​​​

​🌱Climate/Tech⚡

Through my doctoral research I am examining New York City's 'climate tech innovation ecosystem.' I am mixing ethnographic and discourse analysis methods to document how infrastructures amid climate change are being situated for tech-y "disruption" by networks of entrepreneurs, technologists, and city initiatives. In what ways is climate change spurring technological and institutional innovation in cities? What urban futures are championed in climate tech projects? And how can climate change be made an opportunity to infrastructure forms of collective life which better connect people to people, and people to environments?

​​​​​​​​

👀Visualization/Inscription ✒️ 

I am fascinated by how people, in professional and interpersonal contexts, move from thought to expression and back again — mixing language, gesture, data, and image to make the world meaningful in interaction. In what ways do media technologies interplay with apprehending and interpreting oneself and the world in everyday life? 

​​​​​​​​​

📱Platforms/Culture 🎭  

Paying for parking, applying for jobs, participating in political discourse, and keeping up with friends all engage digital platforms. How do 'digital transformations' augment social processes for making meaning and coordinating activities in time and space? 

​​

​​​​​​​​

As of Spring 2026, I have completed coursework towards my PhD in Communication, Information, & Media at Rutgers University New Brunswick (!!!) and am preparing to sit for my qualifying exams in November.  I hold a masters of arts in Communication, Culture, and Technology from Georgetown University, where I held research appointments in the Civics Education Research Lab and Digital Health and Happiness Lab. Prior to that, I studied theater and sociology at Texas Christian University, graduating with honors.

​​

And, I write a mean grant. Throughout my journey in and out of academia, I launched a freelance grants/technical writing service through which I have secured over $6.5 million USD in funding for various community health and sustainability mobility initiatives.

​

Thanks for stopping by my website. Hit my line if we share interests; I'd love to chat. 

​

Grant Lattanzi

May 2026

​