Alison MacAulay, PhD

Welcome! I am a historian interested in the intersections of history, research methods, and visual technologies. My doctoral research (Filming History: Visual Representations of Rwanda, 1916-2014) focused on this topic in the Rwandan context, and was awarded the John Bullen Prize and the Finlayson Gold Medal. My current research deals with creative research practices, with particular attention to filmmaker-academics and their approaches to archives, memory, and knowledge dissemination through the harnessing of digital modes of storytelling and expression. At UTM, I have taught courses on film history, Rwandan history, and comparative genocide studies.

In addition to my academic work, I am passionate about public education and curriculum development. Whether it’s delivering content on human rights and genocide history to high school students, anti-racism education to children, or emergency management training programs, I thrive when I’m providing others with meaningful and impactful information they can use in their daily lives. I have been privileged to spend the first half of 2026 working in the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre, where I have worked as part of the incident management team throughout this year’s winter storm, flood, and fire seasons.

Finally, I also work closely with a number of Rwandan filmmakers on the pre- and post-production stages of their projects, including developing grant applications, assisting with script development, providing feedback on rough cuts, subtitle work, and assisting with film festival submissions. I am also a consultant on a number of exciting projects in the digital and art house realm.