Breanna De Leeuw

Graduate Student
De Leeuw

Breanna De Leeuw's research examines the motives for and consequences of deception across various interpersonal contexts.

Bio

Breanna De Leeuw is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research interests center on motivations for deceit during communicative episodes, as well as the personal and relational implications of these messages. Her previous work used quantitative research methods from self-report data to examine the influence of biological sex, relational intimacy, attachment orientations, relational uncertainty, and face concerns on deploying deceptive communication within romantic relationships. She also investigated the impact of deceptive communication on relational commitment and relationship satisfaction in intimate partnerships. Her future research goals center on elucidating the association between trust and deception in various interpersonal contexts. 

Education

B.A. (2022) University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, Communication

B.A. (2022) University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, Journalism News & Editorial

M.A. (2024) University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, Communication

Contact
breannadeleeuw@ucsb.edu
Google Scholar
Research Area(s)
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication

Jiaqi Liu

Graduate Student
Liu

Jiaqi Liu’s research lies at the intersection of media psychology, mobile and interpersonal communication, with a focus on children and adolescents. He seeks to explore the psychological, interpersonal, and socio-technical processes and effects of new communication technologies in everyday life, including well-being, problematic use, and social relationships.

Bio

Jiaqi is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His primary interest is how people interact with new communication technologies (e.g., smartphones, wearables, AI) in everyday life as well as their social and psychological consequences. To do this, he employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine momentary and long-term effects, including experience sampling method, longitudinal analysis, and experiments. His current research spans two key themes: (1) people's digital and emotional well-being at the convergence of everyday technology use and social interactions, and (2) understanding digital media effects on adolescents to foster positive and inclusive media socialization.

Education

M.A. (2025), Tsinghua University, Communication

B.A. (2022), Tongji University, Journalism and Communication

Contact
jiaqiliu7@ucsb.edu
Google Scholar
Research Gate
Research Area(s)
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication
Media and Digital Communication

Jake Spurlock

Graduate Student
Spurlock

Jake Spurlock's research focuses on how family communication patterns, attachment styles, and relational dialectics shape the experiences of sexual and gender minorities, male survivors of sexual violence, and young adults in romantic relationships. He is particularly interested in exploring the intersections of identity, trauma, and communication within intimate and familial contexts.

Bio

Jake Spurlock is a graduate student in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research explores how identity, trauma, and communication intersect, focusing on the influence of family communication patterns, attachment styles, and relational dialectics on the lived experiences of sexual and gender minorities, male survivors of sexual violence, and young adults in romantic relationships. He is particularly interested in how interpersonal and family communication practices both reflect and shape broader systems of inclusion and marginalization.

 

Education

B.A. (2025), Sul Ross State University, Communication Studies, Interpersonal Communication

Contact
jakespurlock@umail.ucsb.edu
Research Area(s)
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication

Erick Ruvalcaba

Financial & Administrative Assistant
Ruvalcaba
Bio
Erick is the Financial and Administrative Assistant for the department. He is the primary staff contact for purchasing, reimbursements and incentive payments, and management of funds and supply inventories. He takes the lead on executing special events including faculty recruitment and annual featured lectures. 
 
Erick joined the department in September 2025, having recently graduated from UCSB with a double major in Global Studies and Spanish. He is bilingual in Spanish and English and has experience in communication, team support, and customer service. At UCSB, Erick worked as a Student Manager at De La Guerra Dining Commons, an Editor at the Daily Nexus, a Student Assistant in the Human Resources department, and a Guest Service Associate at The Club and Guest House. Each of these roles gave him the chance to grow, learn from others, and support his team in meaningful ways. Outside of work, Erick enjoys traveling, running, and listening to Mexican regional music. He values learning and is always looking for ways to keep growing, both personally and professionally.
Contact
erickruvalcaba@ucsb.edu
Office: SSMS 4113
M-F 8a-5p

Ariana Reneau Awarded Communication Ph.D. Pipeline Program Fellowship

2025-09-22

The Communication Ph.D. Pipeline Program (CP3) is a 9-month, competitive academic fellowship designed to prepare Black/African American students for a Ph.D. in communication and, ultimately, a career in academia. Fellows receive tailored support through assigned peer and faculty mentors, access to at-large mentors, participation in workshops, and funded travel to the National Communication Association conference and a writing retreat at the University of Miami. The program is funded by the National Communication Association, the Waterhouse Family Institute (WFI), the University of Miami (UM), and the University of Cincinnati (UC).

Tammy Afifi Is A Co-PI On New NIH Grant For Mental Health and Virtual Reality

2025-09-22

Tammy Afifi, with Nancy Collins in Psychological and Brain Sciences, and with the CEO of the VR company Rendever, have been awarded a $3,809 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The project title is Improving Mental Health and Social Connectivity for Older Adults through Virtual Reality-Based Social Interventions. In this new grant, they are bringing VR into homes across the U.S. They are pairing with a home care provider, Right at Home, whose health aides will be trained how to use the VR with older adults with and without dementia. Their family members will also be taught how to use it (and we will be tracking both of their well-being over time). The older adults will be joining VR sessions remotely with older adults in senior living communities who are already using the Rendever VR platform.

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