Matthew Ames has been an instructional designer, instructional technologist, community activist, researcher, musician, videographer and more for over 20 years. Between 2007-2015 he was active through his own organization, Philosophy INC, using creative practices to build community in Virginia, United States. During this time, he developed curriculum to connect people with their neighborhoods. This included several grant-funded projects such as the design of solar powered trash bins which were placed throughout the city of Roanoke, Virginia. In 2014, Dr. Ames was awarded the Heritage Education award by the Roanoke Valley Preservation Society for his efforts in preserving historic neon signage of Virginia. 

 Dr. Ames has also written on the history and design of Khmer comics in Cambodia, documented attempts to strengthen the relationships between the sister cities of Roanoke, Virginia and Kisumu, Kenya and presented at art conferences on his experiences in the Middle East.

 Dr. Ames has taught and worked in the southern United States, The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where he designed the technology plan for a new college in Riyadh. He has also worked as an instructional technologist at Norfolk State University, Valencia Community College, and at Virginia Tech where he also assisted with the development of a fully-online graduate program in animal breeding and genetics.

 The focus of Dr. Ames’s research has been in the history of instructional technology where he designed an interface to organize historical artifacts related to the field. He has also presented at conferences on a number of topics including: the use of humor in online learning; psychogeography as a constructivist practice; and teaching through the use of found media. 

Dr. Ames has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Ferrum College and a master’s and PhD from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Instructional Design and Technology