Jess Reia is an assistant professor of data science interested in the untold stories in our datasets and how to meaningfully include communities rarely heard in data policy decision-making processes. They work primarily on topics of data justice, urban governance, and technology policy transnationally. For the past decade, their research and advocacy agenda has focused on fostering dialogues between academia, government, and civil society in three countries: Brazil, Canada, and the United States.  
  
Reia is currently completing the book Making Music Count: What Busking Can Teach Us About Policy, Data, and the Future of Our Cities (Intellect Books, UK) about informal cultural labor in urban spaces that is often invisible in official numbers. Their work was also published in four languages, including the volumes Artificial Intelligence in the City (McGill University, 2022), Pandemic Societies (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2021), Smart Cities no Brasil (Letramento, 2021), Nocturnes (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), Shadow Libraries (MIT Press, 2018), and several journals, such as First Monday, Imaginations, Révue Française d'Administration Publique, and Cadernos Metrópole.  
  
From night governance and intellectual property to the use of AI in health or data collection of gender-diverse communities, Reia is also involved in law and policymaking efforts. Recent contributions have included participation in nighttime economy policies in Canada, copyright law reform in Brazil, and data equity and privacy for LGBTQIA+ communities in the United States. Reia is an AI Fellow at NewCities, an advisor at Urban AI, a member of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research, and former member of the MTL 24/24 Night Council in Montreal. Their work has been featured in numerous magazines, newspapers, and podcasts.