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Faculty
Jess Reia
Assistant Professor of Data Science
School of Data Science
Additional Roles
Assistant Professor of Public Policy by Courtesy
Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy
Jess Reia is an Assistant Professor of Data Science and a Faculty co-lead at the Digital Technology for Democracy Lab at the University of Virginia. In 2025, Reia was selected as an Andrew Carnegie Fellow by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. They are also a Visiting Scholar at Fudan University in Shanghai and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Democracy & Technology in Washington, D.C. Reia works primarily on topics of technology policy and human rights transnationally, being interested in the untold stories in our datasets, citizen-generated data and how artificial intelligence is transforming the way we think about evidence and representation.
A policymaker by training, Reia's research and advocacy agenda has focused on building collaborations with government and civil society organizations in Brazil, Canada and the US for over a decade, resulting in numerous resources to support policy- and decision-making and academic publications in four languages. Reia is also a public scholar whose writing and interviews were featured in various outlets, including Estadão, Le Devoir and BBC. Before joining UVA, they were appointed Mellon Postdoctoral Researcher at McGill University, studying the impact of smart-washing and datafication in nocturnal urban spaces and their communities. Reia held a two-year mandate as a member of MTL 24/24's first Night Council in Montreal. Prior to that, they worked at the Center for Technology & Society at FGV Law School in Rio de Janeiro.
Reia's latest book, "Urban Music Governance: What Busking Can Teach Us about Data, Policy and Our Cities" (Intellect/University of Chicago Press, 2025), explores what happens when precarious urban cultural laborers take data collection, laws, and policymaking into their own hands. A transnational exploration of often unseen aspects of urban governance, it examines the intricate limits of legality, data visibility, and resistance from the perspective of those working at the social and regulatory margins of society.
Currently, Reia teaches courses for future data scientists on ethics, governance, and policy. Past courses have included a focus on urban data, digital rights, intellectual property, and research methods.
Education
- Ph.D., Communication Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
- M.A., Communication Studies, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
- B.A., Public Policy, Universidade de São Paulo
Data Science Domains
Data + Society
Areas of Practice
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Business, Markets, and Policy; Data Ethics and Society; Environment and Climate Science
Methodologies
Data Policy; Qualitative Methods
Selected Publications
*Books and edited volumes*
Reia, J. (2025). Urban Music Governance: What Busking Can Teach Us About Data, Policy, and Our Cities. Bristol/UK and Chicago/US: Intellect and University of Chicago Press.
Koliulis, A., Reia, J. & Straw, W. (Under contract, expected 2026). The Routledge Handbook of Night-time Economy. New York, NY: Routledge.
*Refereed journal articles*
Reia, J. (2025). Invisible data in night-time governance: addressing policy gaps and building a digital rights framework for cities after dark. Data & Policy, 7, e17. https://doi.org/10.1017/dap.2024.90
Reia, J., & Cruz, L. (2025). Smart-Washing the City: A Study on the Privatization of Urban Digital Infrastructures in the Global South. International Journal of Communication, 19, 23. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/22203
Reia J. & Cruz, L. (2023). Cidades inteligentes no Brasil: conexões entre poder corporativo,direitos e engajamento cívico. Cad. Metropole, 25 (57), May-Aug 2023, p. 467-490. https://doi.org/10.1590/2236-9996.2023-5705
*Policy and impact*
Reia, J., Forelle, MC. & Wang, Y. (2025). Reimagining AI for Environmental Justice and Creativity. Digital Technology for Democracy Lab, University of Virginia. https://doi.org/10.18130/03df-zn30
Reia, J., Leach, R. & Li, S. (2025). Trans Digital Rights: Improving Data Visibility, Privacy and Belonging for Gender-diverse Communities. Digital Technology for Democracy Lab and UVA Center for Global Health Equity. https://doi.org/10.18130/m2zw-2g87
Reia, J. et al. (2025). The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services. Policy brief prepared for the United States Department of the Treasury as part of the Diplomacy Lab program. April, 2025.
Brandusescu, A. & Reia, J. (Eds.). (2022). Artificial Intelligence in the City: Building Civic Engagement and Public Trust. Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Montreal, McGill University.
English version: https://doi.org/10.18130/9kar-xn17
French version: https://doi.org/10.18130/e1pa-9129
Spanish version: https://doi.org/10.18130/j3ag-jz62
Bélanger, A., Reia, J. & Straw, W. (2020). Portrait diagnostic de la vie nocturne à Montréal. Soumis à Déborah Delaunay, Commissaire au bruit et à la nuit - Service du développement économique, Ville de Montréal.
*Science communication*
Reia, J. (2023). Why more cities are hiring “night mayors” and establishing forms of nighttime governance. The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/why-more-cities-are-hiring-night-mayors-andestablishing-forms-of-nighttime-governance-202488