Dr. Breniel Lemley is a children’s media and technology researcher. She holds a PhD and MA in Media, Technology, and Society from the Media, Technology, and Society program in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. She also holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Music from the University of San Francisco. At Northwestern, Dr. Lemley was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and she worked with Dr. Ellen Wartella in Center for Media on Human Development. Her dissertation work examined parent and child perceptions of an educational television show with a culturally inclusive focus on computational thinking. Dr. Lemley's work at Northwestern also included topic areas such as children’s podcasts, children’s digital spatial play, children’s media production, and mental health stigma.

Prior to attending Northwestern, Dr. Lemley worked in the Education Division of SRI International as an Education Research Associate. There, she supported projects in the areas of early STEM learning, digital learning, and college and career readiness. These projects were funded by institutions such as the Institute of Educational Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation, George Lucas Education Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Her work supporting the Ready To Learn Initiative influenced her desire to explore how media can support young children's learning.