Zachary Milford

 Zachary Milford is an assistant professor of Literacy Education in the School of Education at Virginia Tech.

He is a former middle school English language arts and social studies teacher. Dr. Milford’s research primarily examines the intersection of new technologies, identity, and teacher practices. His research includes how discussions surrounding literacy education are constructed and circulated across digital platforms, focusing on critical multimodal discourse analysis, network analysis, and teacher-influencer culture; the role of Large Language Models (AI) in English language arts classrooms and teacher education; and how preservice teachers in Appalachia negotiate their own practices and identities. He received his dissertation from the University of Kentucky. He was named a 2025 International Literacy Association 30 under 30 honoree. Dr. Milford has published in several journals, including English Education, Voices from the Middle, Educational Considerations, and International Journal of Multicultural Education.