Cynthia Chris joined CSI’s Department of Media Culture in 2004. She served as chair for two terms, 2018-24.

Dr. Chris's research interests include media history and regulation, gender and sexuality, and critical animal studies. She is the author of "The Indecent Screen: Regulating Television in the Twenty-First Century" (Rutgers University Press, 2019) and "Watching Wildlife" (University of Minnesota Press, 2006), and she co-edited "Media Authorship with David Gerstner" (Routledge, 2013) and "Cable Visions: Television Beyond Broadcasting" (NYU Press, 2007). Her most recent books, "Cuckoo" (2024) and "Crab" (2021), are contributions to Reaktion's Animal series.