On recent work by Robin Nabi and other researchers: Press release, transcript, and podcast by Allison Aubrey of NPR’s Morning Edition, Oct 27: “Got 3 minutes? This habit may help boost hope and reduce stress”... https://www.npr.org/2025/10/27
On recent work by Andy Merolla and Jeffrey Hall: Press release, transcript, and podcast by Willis Arnold and Meghna Chakrabarti of NPR’s On Point, October 10, 2025: “The big impact of small interactions”... about their new book The Social Biome: How Everyday Communication Connects and Shapes Us.
https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2
Breanna has been honored with a Top Master's Thesis award from the National Communication Associations for her thesis titled: Motives for and Consequences of Deception in Romantic Relationships.
Alan Crawley is the UCSB winner of the 2025 Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS) /ProQuest Distinguished Master Thesis Award in Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, and Business Disciplines. The thesis title is “Visual Fireworks: The Nonverbal Communication of Passion.” As the campus winner, his submission will now be entered into the National WAGS/ProQuest Distinguished Master Thesis Award Competition in this category.
Transfer students – welcome to UCSB!
Need the honest scoop on being a transfer student in Communication? Skip the stress on Friday October 17th at 12:30pm and join us for an easy, resource-rich lunch.
The Communication Alumni Council is sponsoring a FREE pizza lunch for you—the newest members of the Comm family. This isn't a lecture; it's a chance to connect and get ahead:
Your Friday Plan: 12:30 PM. Free Food. No Homework. RSVP is easy (and helps us for the pizza count!) Register here: https://cglink.me/2dD/r2268815
Join us to learn more about the MA/PhD program in Communication at UC Santa Barbara! In this virtual open house, we will dive into our approach to training Communication scholars and educators and share some exciting recent student/faculty research. Please register to attend: https://ucsb.zoom.us/meeting/
Ismaharif Ismail received the prestigious National University of Singapore Overseas Graduate Scholarship (NUS-OGS). The NUS-OGS is awarded to outstanding Singaporeans to nurture them for a career in academia by supporting their doctoral studies abroad. He will receive funding support for the remaining duration of his PhD and fellowship with NUS to pursue his research program to understand and bridge social divisions through the multidimensional perspective of social identity. After completing his doctoral training, he will join NUS Department of Communication and New Media as a faculty member.
Ismaharif was also awarded the NUS Development Grant / NUS Young Fellow Award which provides research funding to pursue his research ideas in developing digital media platforms in Singapore to foster social cohesion. The award is renewable annually for up to three years.
Hannah O’Connell is an M.A./Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at UCSB, where she also completed her B.A. in Communication Studies and B.S. in Psychological & Brain Sciences. Her research intersects family, interpersonal, and health communication, exploring resilience through an intergenerational lens. She examines how communication patterns and relational dynamics across generations persist, adapt, break down, and influence well-being during times of stress.
Katherine Carmichael is an MA/PhD student in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Carmichael's work seeks to answer 2 key question: 1) How can Communication scholarship be leveraged to reduce barriers to enacting climate action at governmental, societal, and organizational levels? 2) How can academia, Government, and society effectively collaborate to achieve shared goals? Carmichael's research interests stem from her time working as a climate staffer in state government, and are heavily intertwined with her active involvement in the Santa Barbara south coast community.
Emma is a first year MA-PhD student studying political communication and media effects. They received their bachelor's degree from UC San Diego, where they double majored in Sociology and Political Science, with concentrations in Culture and Communication and Data Analytics respectively. Prior to starting at UCSB, Emma's research covered a wide range of topics, including federally contracted research on mental health public policy, nonprofit program evaluation, and academic projects on social art history and gun violence.
B.A. (2022) UC San Diego, Sociology- Culture and Communication
B.S. (2022) UC San Diego, Political Science- Data Analytics