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Marina Fontolan

Marina Fontolan, PhD.

Associate Professor of Instruction, Communication

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Bio

I am an Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas at San Antonio. I am teaching Game Studies, Gamification and Global Game Industry, and Intercultural Communication. In 2025, I was recognized as Prominent Alumni at Department of Science and Technology Policy, at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (English: University of Campinas - Unicamp).
I was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the department of Radio-Television-Film, Moody College of Communication - The University of Texas at Austin, teaching Game Studies and Latin American Media courses. I was a Postdoc Researcher for the project entitled ENDURE: Inequalities, Community Resilience and New Governance Modalities in a Post-Pandemic World. The project is carried out at the Department of Science and Technology Policy, Unicamp - Brazil. I had a grant from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and was supervised by Professor Leda Maria Caira Gitahy.
I have a PhD in Science and Technology Policy at Unicamp. My dissertation's title is: "It is €0,10 a word! The role of localization in the videogame industry", and it focuses on the STS aspects of localization and the role this process has to the videogame industry. I was supervised by Assistant Professor Janaina Oliveira Pamplona da Costa (Unicamp), and by Assistant Professor James Wilson Malazita (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - RPI). I also have a Master's in Cultural History (Unicamp). I have a B.A. in History and a teaching degree in History (Unicamp).
I was an International Fellow at Osteuropa Institut, Freie Universität (Berlin, Germany) during November 2022. I was an International Visiting Scholar (Rooney Scholar Award) at Robert Morris University during the spring term 2022. I was Visiting Scholar at RPI, supervised by Assistant Professor James Wilson Malazita, for the 2018-2019 year. I also was a visiting Scholar at Stanford University, supervised by Professor Lynn Meskell during the fall term of 2013.
I currently serve at the UTSA's Department Faculty Advisory Committee and I've served as Book Reviews Editor at Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society. I conduct volunteer research in the Laboratório de Pesquisas em Políticas Públicas, Geografia da Inovação e Governança (Lab GOING/FCA, UNICAMP). I am also one of the co-founders of Mario Schenberg Institute (SP), where I serve as partnership coordinator.

Research Interests

  • Video Game Localization
  • Game Studies
  • De and Postcolonial Game Studies
  • History of Games

Degrees

  • Ph.D. in Science and Technology Policy, University of Campinas (Unicamp) (2020)
  • M.A. in Cultural History, University of Campinas (Unicamp) (2015)
  • B.A. and Teaching License in History, University of Campinas (Unicamp) (2012)

Honors and Awards

Awards
2025 Recognized as Prominent Alumni, Department of Science and Technology Policy, Unicamp
2022 Rooney Scholar Award - Robert Morris University
Honorable Mentions
2023 Todos Pelas Vacinas: uma intervenção social contra a hesitação vacinal e o movimento antivacina at the 17th ExpoEPI, authors: Flávia Marques Ferrari (presenter); Mellanie Fontes-Dutra; Ana de Medeiros Arnt; Rafael Badain; Larissa Brussa Reis; Erica Mariosa Moreira Carneiro; Marina Fontolan; Ana Beatriz Ramos de Oliveira; Wasim Aluísio Prates Syed; Luiz Carlos Robles; Leonardo Rovatti de Oliveira; Rafael Lopes Paixão da Silva; Marcelo A. S. Bragatte; Apoena Canuto Cosenza; Érico Vinicius de Souza Carmo e Rafael Biagioni de Fazio - all participants of Mario Schenberg Institute