Dr. Daina Nathaniel is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs in the Knight School of Communication. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, her research interests center around culture, identity, nationhood, and digital inclusion. Most recently she has been exploring how the Caribbean diaspora use social media to create a sense of connection to their various homelands. Her primary research area is cultural studies which looks at the relationships between cultures within societies, issues of power and domination, the postcolonial experience, issues of race and ethnicity between disparate groups, and all the attendant challenges that arise as people try to find a sense of place within their various environments: home, school, work, church, community and online.

Dr. Nathaniel was a pioneer in the establishment of the Community Leaders Program at Queens University of Charlotte, in conjunction with the Digital Charlotte and Google Fiber. Her Capstone students facilitate and support the digital inclusion initiatives in various communities in the Charlotte area.

She has taught a variety of courses including Intercultural
Communication, Political Communication, Communication in American Popular Culture, Persuasion and a host of Journalism courses. She regularly directs the Capstone for graduating seniors, which provides students with the opportunity to showcase what they have learned about the Communication discipline in the Knight School, as well as to give back to the community through service. She has also lead several trips abroad with students through the John Belk International Program.
Dr. Nathaniel is a graduate of (the former) Queens College and is passionate about what Queens University of Charlotte has to offer its students in the areas of global thinking and civic engagement within a progressive academic environment.