“Drawing in part from their own research, Merolla and collaborator Jeffrey A. Hall, at the University of Kansas, elucidate a new way to think about our relational life in “The Social Biome: How Everyday Communication Connects and Shapes Us” (Yale University Press, 2025). The book, which was featured this week in a New York Times interactive article, is a social science-backed exploration into the complexities of, and opportunities within, day-to-day communication.” Click here for the full story!

Dr. Young Ji Kim has been awarded the prestigious UCSB Regents’ Junior Faculty Fellowship. The Fellowship will provide Young Ji with a course release in the 2025-26 academic year to support her project entitled, ”Collaborative Neuro-Inclusivity in Action: Exploring Teamwork and Technological Scaffolding in Neurodiverse Groups.”

Muniba Saleem and Ismaharif Ismail received a top three paper award from the Intergroup Communication Division of the International Communication Association. Saleem, M. & Ismail, I. (June, 2025). Testing the Reciprocal Influence of Media and Identity: A Longitudinal Study of Muslim Adolescents. Paper presented at the 75th Annual International Communication Association Conference. Denver, Colorado, USA.

America Edwards has been selected as the 2025 winner of the Dissertation of the Year award from the Interpersonal Communication Division of ICA! Her dissertation was entitled "Maintaining Long-Distance Mother-Daughter Relationships during College via Technologically Mediated Self-Disclosure and Co-Rumination".

Qing Huang has accepted a tenure-track faculty position in Interpersonal/Relational Communication, Dept. of Media and Communication Studies, at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA. Chronemics, technology, and personal relationships, and their relational and health outcomes, are key elements in her research.

They have received a 2025 top paper award in the Interpersonal Communication division of the International Communication Award for their paper entitled Response Delayed, Message Adapted: How Mediated Response Timing Shapes Perceptions and Message Construction Within Long-Term Relational Dyads.

Ceciley Zhang will join Cal State University Fullerton as an Assistant Professor in Digital Media beginning Fall 2025. Congratulations, Ceciley!

Ms. Zhang studies and conducts research in sociopsychological influence on adoption and outcomes of social media, AI, ChatGPT, and social robots. One of her research projects seeks to develop informative and persuasive messages parents may use to engage their children in consciously shaping their social media use toward more beneficial outcomes.