Bio Brief | Katya On The Web | Katherine Ognyanova

Bio Brief

Born 29 years ago in Bulgaria.

Photo by cweti

Photo by cweti

Present occupation

Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Communication with a focus on networks,
media and technology at the Annenberg School for Communication, USC.

Undergraduate Course Teaching Assistant:
(Communication Program, Annenberg)

  • COMM 200 – Communication as a Social Science
  • COMM 201 – Communication as Liberal Art
  • COMM 306 – The Communication Revolution and the Arts
  • COMM 310 – Media and Society

Graduate Course Instructor:
(Annenberg Program for Online Communities)

  • CMGT 540 – Uses of Communication Research (Syllabus)

Research Assistant:

Tommy Trojan, USC

Tommy Trojan, USC

Education

1999: Graduated from Sofia High School of Mathematics “Paisii Hilendarsky”.

2004: Received B.Sc. in Computer Science from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics.

2006: Received M.A. in Virtual Culture from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Faculty of Philosophy.

2010: Received M.A. in Communication from the University of Southern California.

Degree awarded after Ph.D. level comprehensive examinations in four concentration areas: media studies, network theory and methodology, online participation and civic engagement, and state control over digital communications.
Committee members: Sandra Ball-Rokeach (Chair), Peter Monge, Manuel Castells,
Henry Jenkins, Geneva Overholster.

FMI

Faculty of Mathematics & Informatics

Professional Experience

In 2000 started work at Economedia, the largest business media group in Bulgaria (currently part of Verlagsgruppe Handelsblatt). Spent close to seven years with Capital Weekly‘s great team of highly competent (and refreshingly wacky) employees.

Capital Weekly

Capital Weekly

Responsibilities as a journalist included observing trends in emerging technologies, online business and society, as well as performing research and analysis of telecom regulation and Internet governance. In 2006-2007, fun new tasks – visual editing and data representation – were added to the list.

Interviews taken for Capital Weekly include:

  • Not Every New Technology is a New Market – Interview with Georg Serentschy, CEO of RTR-GmbH, the Austrian Broadcasting and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
  • Don’t Shut Down the Internet, Prosecute the Criminals – Interview with Lawrence Lessig, professor of law at Harvard Law School
  • Of Google, the Internet, and Outer Space – Interview with Vinton Cerf, VP and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google
Interview - Vinton Cerf

Interview - Vinton Cerf

Other Projects

Reporter for the Bulgarian National Television (2001-2002) and Radio Tangra (2002-2003).

Consultant/analyst on IT, telecom regulation and new media for a number of projects, including the e-Bulgaria 2005 & 2006 reports and FISTERA Technology and Innovation Foresight for Bulgaria and Romania (ForeTech).