Dr. Vaness Cox is a TV, film, and music aficionado. In 2015, she enrolled at the University of Michigan where she was fortunate enough to begin doing research on said passions, earning her Ph.D. in Developmental (& Media) Psychology in 2020. Despite the Black diaspora's high rates of media consumption, research is lacking regarding the effects of media on their psychological well-being. So, Dr. Cox's work generally addresses the Black community and how they are represented in—and affected by—media. Currently, she uses her research to inform the creation of TV and film content with her consulting company, Uncommon Eye. Additionally, Dr. Cox is a collaborator with the Center for Scholars & Storytellers and a member of the braintrust for Creative Cypher. She is also a writer and aspiring producer with hopes of creating her own content, showcasing the diversity of Black stories. She was most recently Director of DEI at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Prior to starting her consulting business, Dr. Cox was a researcher at the Geena Davis Institute, where she helped publish research on Black women in Hollywood. Dr. Cox also worked in the Office of Global Inclusion at Paramount, where she was on the Content for Change council, produced events highlighting the diversity in Paramount's content, and provided DEI resources to internal and external partners. She earned her bachelors in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Missouri with a minor in Black Studies.