Our Journalism & Mass Communications Experts

EmTech & Public Interest Tech Group

This research group focuses on understanding roles of digital and emerging technologies in helping address societal problems at local, national and international levels. In close collaborations with community partners, we design and conduct empirical research in the areas of digital divide/equity/inclusion, online misinformation, and digital civic engagement.

If you are interested in joining the EmTech & Public Interest Tech Group, contact Professor Hyunjin Seo.

Science/Environmental Comms Group

We focus on the broad topic of science/environmental communication. We use different methods including computational, survey, content analysis, experiment, in-depth interview, and textual analysis. Current projects include (1) fact-checking on climate change from four countries; (2) media use and green consumption and policy support on plastic waste; (3) computational approach on online content on climate change across the world; and (4) exploring content elements in strategic messages by environmental NGOs.

If you are interested in joining the Science/Environmental Comms Group, contact Associate Professor Hong Vu.

Experimental Research Group (ERG)

The ERG aims to promote and facilitate experimental research in media. We welcome any experimental approaches, from laboratory studies to online experiments, to field experiments. Group members can take advantage of a dedicated research facility – the Experimental Research Media Laboratory (Dole 2001C), equipped with psychophysiology data acquisition, reaction time, facial emotion recognition, dial studies, and eye tracking equipment. The group is open to all faculty, undergraduate and graduate students interested in experimental research, and it is supported by the Center for Excellence in Health Communication to Underserved Populations and its national and international research partnerships.

If you are interested in joining the Experimental Research Group, contact Associate Professor Mugur Geana.

Qualitative Research Group

The questions that qualitative research is best suited to address differ from those taken up by quantitative methods but are just as critical to understanding how the world works. As Geertz (1973) put it,“To look at the symbolic dimensions of social action … is not to turn away from the existential dilemmas of life for some empyrean realm of deemotionalized forms; it is to plunge into the midst of them.” Ready to take that plunge? Join us for learning, resources, and support.

If you are interested in joining the Qualitative Research Group, contact Associate Professor Genelle Belmas.

Immersion, Computation, and Expression (ICE) Group

The ICE Research Group undertakes mixed-methods and multidisciplinary research projects to study disruptions in the increasingly immersive, algorithm-led, and multicultural creative marketing communication and digital gaming ecosystems. The group is also dedicated to addressing issues of diversity and inclusion in these research areas.

If you are interested in joining the ICE group, contact Assistant Professor Vaibhav Diwanji.

Shut Up and Write

Assistant Professor Chris Etheridge hosts a university-wide weekly research group sessions at the Hall Center for the Humanities. The sessions are designed to give scholars across disciplines a quiet place to develop, write, or revise research.

If you are interested in joining the research group, contact Assistant Professor Chris Etheridge.

Persuasion Group

Persuasion Group: Collectively, this research group examines how individuals process, respond to, and are influenced by media messages to alter attitudes and behaviors. We have an emphasis on theory-driven research using experimental methods.