Student profile

Leona Nikolić

Thesis supervisor: Jeremy Stolow

Faculty

Thesis title: The Stars Down to the Machine: Astrology Computers, Artificial Intelligence, and Silicon Valley Esotericism

Leona Nikolić is an SSHRC-funded PhD student in Communication Studies at Concordia University specialising in new media, computational histories, science and technology studies, religion and media studies, and digital humanities. Her doctoral research examines the relationships between artificial intelligence and astrology as speculative modes of prediction and forecasting and the historical interdependencies between astrology, computation, and data analysis.

She was a research intern in 2025 at Microsoft Research with the Social Media Collective, exploring the technocultural implications of magical discourse, design, and branding of generative AI models. She has previously worked as a strategic foresight policy analyst for the Government of Canada, has served as an editorial assistant for the Against Catastrophe project directed by Orit Halpern, and has held various research assistant positions, including: archival research on the history of chromotherapy technologies for by Jeremy Stolow, sensory ethnography for Explorations in Sensory Design directed by David Howes, and ethnographic field work on the impact of artificial intelligence on extractive industries for the Reclaiming the Planet research studio directed by Orit Halpern.

She is a member of the Media History Research Centre and the Machine Agencies research group at the Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture, and Technology.

Leona holds an MA in Communication Studies (Experimental Media Research Creation) from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a BA in Art History from Carleton University.

Publications

Nikolić, L. (2023). An Astrological Genealogy of Artificial Intelligence: From “Pseudo-Sciences” of Divination to Sciences of Prediction. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 26(2), 131–146.

Nikolić, L. (2023). Book Review: Deceitful Media: Artificial Intelligence and Social Life after the Turing Test. New Media & Society, 25(8), 2277–2280.

Nikolić, L. (2022). De l’esprit au téléphone intelligent : un récit flou de l’objet le plus spirituel de notre époque. Actes de colloque Rendez-vous de la recherche émergente 2020. Montréal, 4–25 juin 2020. Montréal, Québec.

Nikolić, L. (2021) Exploring Hyperreal Transcendence through Research-Creation: The Smartphone as Spiritual Interface between the Real and Virtual Selves. MAST: The Journal of Media Art Study and Theory 1(2). University at Buffalo, State University of New York, 40–50.

Nikolić, L. (2021). Techno-Spirituality and the Digital Self: From Smartphone Applications to Immersive Installations (Master's Thesis, Université du Québec à Montréal).

Nikolić, L. (2020). Self, Spirit, and Smartphone: The Commodification of Spirituality through Smartphone Applications. The 2nd Communication in the Digital Age Symposium: Abstract Book. İzmir University of Economics, Turkey, 118.

Nikolić, L. (2019). Carnet de rêves. Cahier d’école, 4, 52–57.

Conferences & Round Tables

Nikolić, L. (2021, November 17). The Self, the Smartphone, and the Stars in the Apps [Conference presentation]. Apps spirituelles : Applications religieuses et de méditation, Université de Tours, France.

Nikolić, L., Audry, S., Bonaccorsi, J., Bricenco, C., & Vial, S. (2021, May 20). In C. Piazzesi (Chair), Ce que nous faisons avec les écrans et ce que les écrans font de nous [Round Table]. ÉCRAN TOTAL Exhibition & Symposium, Centre de design de l’UQAM, Montréal, Québec.

Nikolić, L. (2020, October 27). Self, Spirit, and Smartphone: The Commodification of Spirituality through Smartphone Applications [Conference presentation online]. The 2nd Communication in the Digital Age Symposium, İzmir University of Economics, İzmir, Turkey.

Nikolić, L. (2020, June 25). De l’esprit au téléphone intelligent : un récit flou de l’objet le plus spirituel de notre époque [Conference presentation online]. Rendez-vous de la recherche émergente 2020, Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la littérature et la culture québécoises (CRILCQ), UQAM, Montréal, Québec.

Nikolić, L. (2020, May 11–12). Qu’est-ce que je fais exactement ? Le conte d’un projet de recherche-création très expérimental [Conference presentation]. Colloque interuniversitaire étudiant du CELAT 2020, UQAM, Montréal, Québec. (Conference cancelled due to COVID-19).

Nikolić, L. (2020, April 16–18). iSpiritual: Smartphone Applications for the Digital Soul [Conference presentation]. Media Industries 2020, King’s College, London, England (Conference cancelled due to COVID-19).

Creative Work

Nikolić, L. (2021). Soli: Digital Meditation Experience [Immersive installation]. École des médias de l'UQAM, Montréal, Québec.

Social media links:

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=QPLjAQkAAAAJ&hl=en

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3159-9728