Project Team

MICHAEL MEHTA, PHD

Michael Mehta is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Saskatchewan, and Director of the Sociology of Biotechnology Program through the College of Biotechnology. He is also a co-founder of the Environmental Studies Association of Canada (ESAC). His academic background includes a B.A. in Psychology, a Master in Environmental Studies, a Ph.D. in Sociology, and post-doctoral training in Policy Studies. He has held academic appointments at York University (Faculty of Environmental Studies) and Queen's University (School of Policy Studies and School of Environmental Studies), and has taught graduate and undergraduate students for more than ten years. Dr. Mehta specializes in environmental sociology and the sociology of cyberspace. His interests include risk perception and communication on biotechnology, nuclear safety, blood safety, endocrine modulators, and nanotechnology. His work in the sociology of cyberspace explores pornography on the Internet and surveillance/privacy issues.

Selected Publications:

Mehta, M.D. "On nano-panopticism: A sociological perspective." Canadian Chemical News. 2002.

Mehta, M.D. "Censoring cyberspace " Asian Journal of Social Science. 2002

Mehta, M.D. "Nanoscience and nanotechnology: Assessing the nature of innovation in these fields." Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society. 2002; 22(4):269-273.

Mehta, M.D. "The social construction of science, risk and expertise." Canadian Chemical News, March 2002: 28-30

Mehta, M.D., Best, D. and N. Poon "Peer-to-peer sharing on the Internet: An analysis of how Gnutella networks are used to distribute pornographic material." The Canadian Journal of Law and Technology, 2002; 1(1).

Mehta, M.D. "Public perceptions of genetically engineered foods: 'Playing God' or trusting science?" Risk: Health, Safety and Environment, 2001; 12:205-220.

Mehta, M.D. "Pornography in Usenet: A study of 9800 randomly selected images." Cyberpsychology and Behavior. 2001; 4(6): 695-704.

Mehta, M.D. and J. Gair "Social, political, legal and ethical areas of inquiry in biotechnology and genetic engineering" Technology in Society, 2001; 23: 241-264.

Lee D.H., Mehta, M.D., Hanisch, S. and P. James "Public perceptions and attitudes about transfusion safety and blood donation." Transfusion Medicine, 2000; 10: 236.

Mehta, M.D. and E. Darier (1998) "Virtual control and disciplining on the Internet: Electronic governmentality and the global superpanopticon." The Information Society, 1998; 14: 107-116.