EXECUTIVE CV

CAROLYN MALACHI

GRAMMY Award–Nominated Artist • Scholar • Audio Engineer • Producer • Assistant Chair

Howard University | Cathy Hughes School of Communications

Founder & Creative Director | Call & Response LLC

carolyn.malachi@howard.edu 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Carolyn Malachi is a GRAMMY® Award–nominated artist, producer, engineer, researcher, and academic leader serving as Assistant Chair and Assistant Professor in the Department of Media, Journalism and Film in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University. She developed Social Sonic Design, an interdisciplinary framework that examines how intentionally designed sound can advance immersive media, enhance learning, support therapeutic care, and preserve cultural heritage. Since joining Howard University's tenure-track faculty in 2020, she has translated professional practice into institutional capacity by securing external funding, building strategic industry partnerships, expanding immersive audio infrastructure, and creating workforce development pipelines for students. Her work integrates creative scholarship, research, and leadership to advance Howard University's capacity in immersive media, experiential learning, and public scholarship.

 

Career Snapshot

Exemplary Creative Productions

21

External Grants

5

GRAMMY® Award Nominations

2 Projects

Assistant Chair Appointment

2025

BEA Best of Competition Awards

1

 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Signature Research & Creative Scholarship

  • Developed Social Sonic Design, an interdisciplinary research framework examining how intentionally designed sound shapes communication, learning, health, and culture.
  • Produced 21 exemplary creative works during the 2020–2026 tenure review period.
  • Secured multiple externally funded grants supporting research, creative practice, and community engagement.
  • Authored peer-reviewed publications, invited book chapters, and conference proceedings spanning immersive audio, sound studies, media production, and cultural scholarship.
  • Expanded immersive audio research into therapeutic listening, caregiver support, operational communication systems, and cultural preservation.

National & International Recognition

  • Earned multiple GRAMMY® Award nominations as an artist, producer, and engineer.
  • Performed on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.
  • Received the Broadcast Education Association Faculty Best of Competition Award for immersive sound design and engineering.
  • Recognized as a Fulbright-Hays Scholar.
  • Delivered invited lectures and presentations at Dartmouth College, Drexel University, the Smithsonian Institution, Berklee College of Music, the Audio Engineering Society, and numerous national and international conferences.
  • Featured in The New York Times, Howard Magazine, Pitchfork, and other national media.

Academic Leadership

  • Assistant Chair, Department of Media, Journalism and Film (2025–Present)
  • Appointed Assistant Chair during her junior faculty appointment.
  • Directs departmental operations, curriculum planning, faculty support, facility coordination, and strategic initiatives.
  • Completed Howard University's Chair Leadership Academy.
  • Selected for the Mellon-funded Breaking the M.O.L.D. Initiative, preparing diverse faculty for senior academic leadership.
  • Established interdisciplinary collaborations advancing immersive media research across Howard University.

Teaching & Workforce Development

  • Designed and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in audio production, immersive media, post-production, music technology, and media entrepreneurship.
  • Built classroom-to-industry partnerships connecting Howard students with Spotify, SiriusXM, the Smithsonian Institution, SoundExchange, the NFL, and other leading organizations.
  • Integrated research and professional practice into teaching through experiential learning, commissioned projects, and industry mentorship.
  • Mentored students into successful careers across media, entertainment, technology, and cultural institutions.

Sponsored Research, Grants & Strategic Partnerships

  • Research, creative practice, and educational initiatives supported through competitive grants, contracts, and commissioned projects with:
  • Interledger Foundation
  • Baltimore Development Corporation
  • Howard University
  • Spotify
  • Universal Music Group / Verve Records
  • The Recording Academy
  • Congressional Chorus
  • NEO Philanthropy

Public Scholarship & Thought Leadership

  • Advanced public scholarship through keynote addresses, invited lectures, congressional advocacy, artistic commissions, media appearances, and interdisciplinary collaborations.
  • Translated scholarly inquiry into institutional innovation, public knowledge, and cultural impact through sustained engagement across higher education, government, industry, and the arts.

Selected Honors

  • GRAMMY® Award Nomination (Multiple Projects)
  • Broadcast Education Association Faculty Best of Competition
  • Fulbright-Hays Scholar
  • Assistant Chair Appointment, Howard University
  • Mellon Breaking the M.O.L.D. Fellow
  • Howard University Chair Leadership Academy
  • Multiple Competitive External Research Grants
  • National Congressional Advocacy Delegate (NAMM Foundation / We Are Moving the Needle)

Research Agenda

Social Sonic Design

How can intentionally designed sound strengthen human connection, support care, advance learning, preserve culture, and improve human experience?

This question serves as the organizing principle across Carolyn Malachi's research, teaching, creative scholarship, and institutional leadership.