Known for creating R-Shief software and performing as VJ Um Amel, Laila Shereen Sakr is Associate Professor of Media Theory & Practice at University of California, Santa Barbara. At UCSB, she co-founded Wireframe, a studio promoting collaborative theoretical and creative media practice with investments in global social and environmental justice. In 2021, she launched VJ.Live, a platform for live broadcasting and interactive experiences.
See a full list of publications here
State Futurism vs. Critical Futurism. In Myrna Ayad, editor, What's Between, Between? Gulf Futures: An Edited Volume of Essays, Dialogues, and Opinions. Silvana Editoriale, 2026.
Glitching Tradition: Arab Digital Art at the Crossroads of Innovation and Resistance. In Haytham Nawar, editor, The Archaeology of New Media Arts in the Arab World, Hatje Cantz, 2026.
Applying Data Feminism Principles to Assess Bias in English and Arabic NLP Research. FAccT '25: Proceedings of the 2025 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, ACM, 2025.
“When Data Bodies Become Targets: New Risks in a Networked World,” Tech Policy, November 4, 2024.