Anton Ninkov: Pursuing knowledge & experiences

By Kate Summers

Anton's hometown: Rochester, New York

Ninkov on a strenuous hike in the Dolomites, a mountain range in northeastern Italy.

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Anton Ninkov is an Australian-born, Rochester-raised Canadian citizen completing his fifth year of the PhD in Library and Information Sciences program in FIMS.

Currently working remotely from Ottawa, Ninkov’s thesis is centered on developing and user-testing an interactive visual analytics system designed to examine a set of vaccine websites. His question is whether the system improves a user’s ability to understand the information on the website. Ultimately, Ninkov aims to determine whether users can dig deeper and faster into information, offloading the cognitive work traditionally performed by the user onto the system.

Prior to his PhD, Ninkov completed his undergraduate degree in communications and sociology at the University of Ottawa. Ninkov was a varsity freestyle swimmer for the University of Ottawa swim team, the Ottawa Gee Gees, and even met his future wife at the pool. When asked whether he still hits the pool, he laughs and says, “I like to think I swam enough for the rest of my life.”

“I am proud of my personal relationships I have fostered. Be it my family, close friends who live all over the world, or my wife, I am very proud to have these people in my circle.”
After a few years of working in Rochester, he pursued a master’s degree in Print Media at Rochester Institute of Technology. It was there he developed an interest in interactive digital publications and began his research. After finishing his master’s, he worked in technology consulting in New York, but found himself missing the research he did throughout his degrees.

Fun Fact

Ninkov swam a 1500-metre freestyle in 16.5 minutes.

To continue his endless pursuit of knowledge, Ninkov chose to pursue a PhD at Western University’s Faculty of Information and Media Studies to better understand the human elements underpinning digital interactivity. As a FIMS student he would also publish two papers examining the online vaccine debate using quantitative research methods Post-PhD, Ninkov’s dream career would involve exploring new ideas, teaching others and working with passionate individuals who share and challenge his interests.

His diverse educational background is as varied as his interests. Ninkov is passionate about the outdoors and travelling, and says Canada has a lot to offer for nature seekers. From cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park to hiking steep cliffs in Italy, it is almost impossible to find Ninkov inside – except when he is working away at his PhD, which he hopes to finish by summer 2019.

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Profiles in the Meet Our Students section are written by students in the Master of Media in Journalism & Communication program, who are enrolled in MMJC 9604 - Professional Writing.
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