Ph.D. Communication Studies, Rhetoric and Public Culture track, University of Iowa Graduate Certificate in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies M.A. Communication Studies, Western Illinois University B.A. Communication, Blackburn College B.A. Spanish, Blackburn College
Dr. Michelle Laura Flood is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Media and Communication at St. John Fisher University. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication Studies alongside a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Iowa in 2022, after earning an M.A. from Western Illinois University and two bachelor's degrees from Blackburn College. A dedicated educator and interdisciplinary media scholar, Dr. Flood brings over a decade of higher education teaching experience across diverse liberal arts settings.
Her research program sits at the intersection of critical media studies, popular culture, screen history, feminist media theory, and digital platforms. Utilizing qualitative, rhetorical, and textual research methods, Dr. Flood interrogates how film, television, and digital media construct meaning surrounding race, gender, class, and representational politics. Her published scholarship appears in leading academic journals, including Celebrity Studies, Spectator, New Media & Society, Critical Studies in Media Communication, KB Journal, and Women’s Studies in Communication. She has also contributed book chapters to edited volumes, including Women's Leadership in Popular Culture (Bloomsbury, 2025). Currently, Dr. Flood is developing her book manuscript, Appraising Celebrity Feminism, which examines the mediation, commodification, and cultural revisionism of feminist discourse in contemporary screen culture.
Recognized for both her research achievements and innovative pedagogy, Dr. Flood participated in back-to-back Summer Fellows Research programs at St. John Fisher University, where she invited undergraduate students to participate in her research on Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments. She is also the recipient of the Ballard & Seashore Dissertation Fellowship at Iowa, and the Douglas Ehninger Prize for Teaching Excellence. She was awarded the Top Paper Award in the Media Communication Division at the Eastern Communication Association conference in 2025 and nominated for Faculty of the Year by St. John Fisher’s Student Government Association.
In the classroom, Dr. Flood teaches courses such as Fundamentals of Film, Digital Feminisms, Diversity and Media, Masculinity in Film, and Audience Reception Studies. She actively mentors students and guides collaborative media projects, serving as executive producer for the student-made documentary The Mosaic of Bevier. Beyond her research and teaching, she serves on the university’s Generative Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board, promoting critical digital literacy and inclusive academic practices.
Michelle LauraFloodAssistant Professor of PracticeFAY 204mflood@sjf.edu(585) 385-8206/media/sized-image-library/headshots-160-x-160/headshots-d-f/MichelleFlood.jpgDr. Michelle Laura Flood is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Media and Communication at St. John Fisher University. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication Studies alongside a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Iowa in 2022, after earning an M.A. from Western Illinois University and two bachelor's degrees from Blackburn College. A dedicated educator and interdisciplinary media scholar, Dr. Flood brings over a decade of higher education teaching experience across diverse liberal arts settings.
Her research program sits at the intersection of critical media studies, popular culture, screen history, feminist media theory, and digital platforms. Utilizing qualitative, rhetorical, and textual research methods, Dr. Flood interrogates how film, television, and digital media construct meaning surrounding race, gender, class, and representational politics. Her published scholarship appears in leading academic journals, including Celebrity Studies, Spectator, New Media & Society, Critical Studies in Media Communication, KB Journal, and Women’s Studies in Communication. She has also contributed book chapters to edited volumes, including Women's Leadership in Popular Culture (Bloomsbury, 2025). Currently, Dr. Flood is developing her book manuscript, Appraising Celebrity Feminism, which examines the mediation, commodification, and cultural revisionism of feminist discourse in contemporary screen culture.
Recognized for both her research achievements and innovative pedagogy, Dr. Flood participated in back-to-back Summer Fellows Research programs at St. John Fisher University, where she invited undergraduate students to participate in her research on Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments. She is also the recipient of the Ballard & Seashore Dissertation Fellowship at Iowa, and the Douglas Ehninger Prize for Teaching Excellence. She was awarded the Top Paper Award in the Media Communication Division at the Eastern Communication Association conference in 2025 and nominated for Faculty of the Year by St. John Fisher’s Student Government Association.
In the classroom, Dr. Flood teaches courses such as Fundamentals of Film, Digital Feminisms, Diversity and Media, Masculinity in Film, and Audience Reception Studies. She actively mentors students and guides collaborative media projects, serving as executive producer for the student-made documentary The Mosaic of Bevier. Beyond her research and teaching, she serves on the university’s Generative Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board, promoting critical digital literacy and inclusive academic practices.Ph.D. Communication Studies, Rhetoric and Public Culture track, University of IowaGraduate Certificate in Gender, Women, and Sexuality StudiesM.A. Communication Studies, Western Illinois UniversityB.A. Communication, Blackburn CollegeB.A. Spanish, Blackburn CollegeFeminist media, celebrity, digital cultures, and popular culture
