The following graduate students are currently on the job market. Please view their profiles for more information.
People
- Continuing Lecturer
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication, Crime & Law, Small Group Communication, Networks, Video Games
Gordon Abra is interested in power dynamics across a range of social contexts, with a special focus on Law, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System.
Education
Ph.D. (2005), University of Arizona, Sociology
- Professor and Department Chair
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication, Relational Communication, Resilience & Thriving, Health & Wellness, Social Support, Community Engagement, Well-being, Family Communication, Stress & Biological Markers
Tamara Afifi's research focuses on family and interpersonal communication in two domains: (1) how family members and relational partners communicate when they are stressed and its impact on personal, relational, and physiological health, and (2) information regulation (e.g., avoidance, privacy, secrets, stress contagion effects).
Bio
Tamara Afifi examines the theoretical properties of family members’ communication patterns (e.g., conflict, social support, avoidance, verbal rumination, communal coping) that cross a variety of stressful situations, to explain and predict biological stress responses, resilience/thriving, and personal/relational health. Professor Afifi often triangulates data and methods, including unique combinations of surveys with whole families, longitudinal diary data, lab interactions, field studies in families’ homes, observational coding, biological markers, virtual reality, and qualitative data. Her work often includes community-based populations that are difficult to access (e.g., undocumented immigrants, refugees, older adults with dementia, families with chronic illnesses). She is a Fellow of the International Communication Association, a Distinguished Scholar of the National Communication Association, and former editor of Communication Monographs. Professor Afifi has also secured external funding through agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NICHD and NIA). She is currently the lead PI on a Phase II clinical trial funded by the National Institute on Aging, examining the impact of virtual reality on the quality of life of residents who have dementia and their family members who live at a distance in approximately two dozen senior living communities in the greater Santa Barbara and Boston areas.
Education
Ph.D. (1999), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Family and Interpersonal Communication)
- Professor
- Associate Dean and Director of Initiatives for Community Engaged Research and Pedagogy
- Division of Social Sciences
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication, Uncertainty, Community Engagement, Health & Wellness, Well-being, Immigration
Walid Afifi studies the experience of uncertainty and its impact on information seeking, decision-making, and well-being. That work resulted in the publication of the Theory of Motivated Information Management, and is currently being extended to the context of communities experiencing chronic uncertainty through the development of the Chronic Uncertainty Framework.
Bio
Walid A. Afifi (PhD, University of Arizona) is Professor in the Dept of Communication and Associate Dean, and Director of Community Engaged Initiatives, in the Division of Social Sciences. He was elected as a Fellow of the International Communication Association in 2021 and is currently serving as President of the National Communication Association. He is one of the leading scholars in the study of uncertainty and its impacts. His program of research revolves around uncertainty and information-management decisions and has led to the development and refinement of the Theory of Motivated Information Management. That work has increasingly focused on immigrant communities and/or communities experiencing trauma, and is coalescing around the articulation of the Chronic Uncertainty Framework, which begins with a focus on the sociostructural determinants of behavior. He teaches classes related to community engagement, interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, relational communication, and uncertainty. He is committed to research, teaching, and service that involves and empowers all communities, and has been recognized for that commitment by UCSB’s Faculty Senate Teaching Award, the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity's Esteemed Ally Award, and through the Margaret T. Gettman Award for Service to Students.
Education
Ph.D. (1996), University of Arizona, Communication
M.A. (1992), University of Arizona, Communication
B.A. (1990), University of Iowa, Communication Studies
- Professor
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication, Media & Digital Communication, Nonverbal Communication, Credibility/Deception, Relational Communication, Computer-Mediated Communication, Video Games, Dominance & Power
Norah Dunbar studies credibility and deception in a variety of contexts. In particular, she studies how dominance, nonverbal synchrony, and other nonverbal behaviors affect the impressions we make in our interpersonal relationships. She has examined interpersonal power as it relates to credibility and persuasion and has pioneered the methods of measuring nonverbal behaviors.
Bio
Dr. Dunbar is a Professor of Communication at UCSB and a Fellow of the International Communication Association. She teaches courses in nonverbal and interpersonal communication, communication theory, and deception detection. She is also Affiliate Faculty in the Center for Information, Technology & Society; Center for Responsible Machine Learning; the Center for Digital Games Research; and the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences program. She has received over $18 Million in research funding from agencies such as the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the Center for Identification Technology Research. She has published over 100 journal articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia articles and has presented over 120 papers at National and International conferences. Her research has appeared in top journals in her discipline including Communication Research, Communication Monographs, and Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication as well as interdisciplinary journals such as Journal of Management Information Systems and Computers in Human Behavior. She has served on the editorial board of over a dozen disciplinary journals and as the Chair of the Nonverbal Division of the National Communication Association in 2014-2016. She is the immediate past Chair of the Communication Department at UCSB.
Education
Ph.D. (2000), University of Arizona, Communication
M.A. (1996), California State University Chico, Human Communication
B.A. (1994), University of Nevada Reno, Speech Communication
- Professor
Media and Digital Communication, Computer Mediated Communication, Media Psychology, Credibility, Social Media, Persuasion & Social Influence, Collective Action
Dr. Flanagin's research considers processes of social influence in digitally-mediated environments, with emphases on the use of social media for information sharing and assessment; people’s perceptions of the credibility of information gathered and presented online; the impacts on metacognition of near-ubiquitous access to information-saturated environments; and processes of collective organizing as influenced by the use of contemporary technologies.
Bio
Andrew Flanagin received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication Theory and Research from the Annenberg School for Communication, at the University of Southern California. Prior to this, he earned a B.A. in Sociology and American Studies from Yale University and worked for several years as a Management Systems Consultant, Systems Analyst, Computer Programmer, and a Foreign Liaison and Technology Transfer Specialist. These experiences reflect his overarching interest in the use of technologies in contemporary society.
Professor Flanagin's research broadly considers processes of social influence in digitally-mediated environments. Related to this research program, Professor Flanagin teaches courses on the Internet and Web, social media, research methods, statistics, collaborative technologies, communication theory, and the social and historical co-evolution of technologies.
Professor Flanagin is former Director of the Center for Information Technology & Society at UCSB (cits.ucsb.edu), which is dedicated to research and education about the cultural transitions and social innovations associated with technology.
Education
Ph.D. Communication Theory and Research, Annenberg School for Communication,
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 1996
Dissertation Advisor: Peter Monge
M.A. Communication Theory and Research, Annenberg School for Communication,
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 1995
B.A. Sociology and American Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; cum laude graduate
Senior Thesis Advisor: Alan Trachtenberg
- Professor and Graduate Director
Organizational & Group Communication, Media & Digital Communication, Technology in Organizations, Distributed Work, Remote Work, The Future of Work, Global Teams, Social Media
Jennifer Gibbs studies collaboration in global teams and other remote, distributed, and hybrid work arrangements and implications for the future of work. In addition, her research examines the affordances of new technologies such as digital media and artificial intelligence for strategic communication practices and organizational transformation.
Bio
Jennifer Gibbs is Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has affiliated appointments in TMP and CITS. Her current projects include studies of: 1) boundary management and well-being in global and remote work, 2) concertive control in online communities, and 3) the role of artificial intelligence in organizational transformation. Her work draws on both qualitative and quantitative methods and takes a field-based, constitutive approach to understanding organizing processes and technological affordances. Her work has been published in leading journals from a variety of disciplines including Administrative Science Quarterly, American Behavioral Scientist, Communication Research, Computers in Human Behavior, Human Relations, The Information Society, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, Management Communication Quarterly, and Organization Science. She has also published two books (Organizing Inclusion and Distracted: Staying Connected without Losing Focus). Professor Gibbs is past Editor of Communication Research and was formerly an Associate Editor for Management Communication Quarterly, as well as serving on the editorial boards of a number of other top-tier communication and management journals. She teaches courses in Organizational Communication, Communication Technology, and Qualitative Research at undergraduate and graduate levels.
Education
Ph.D. (2002). University of Southern California, Organizational Communication
B.A. (1992). Pomona College, Philosophy
- Distinguished Research Professor
Intergroup Communication, Language & Verbal communication, Intergroup Relations, Communication and Aging, Health and Wellness, Health Communication, Community Engagement, Social Identity,
Bio
Howard Giles is Founding & Current Editor of both the Journal of Language & Social Psychology (1980-) and the Journal of Asian Pacific Communication (1990-). Past President of the International Communication Association (ICA: 2000-01), he is a Distinguished Research Professor of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Honorary Professor in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland, Australia. He was also former Reserve Detective Lieutenant at the Santa Barbara Police Department and, currently, is its Founding Director of Volunteers in Policing. He is an elected Fellow of 8 learned societies (e.g., the Royal Society of Medicine) and recipient of numerous academic awards, including the inaugural Career Productivity award from ICA in 2000. Giles has researched language and communication across a range of intergroup settings, including police- community and intergenerational ones, and published 30 books, 20 journal special issues, Handbooks, and an Encyclopedia as well as many hundreds of academic articles and chapters.
- Associate Professor
- Associate Director Chicano Studies Institute
Media & Digital Communication, Marginalization & Inequality, Community Engagement, Social Media, Media & Identity, Media Effects, Well-being
Amy Gonzales examines the digital divide, particularly short-term disruption in access to devices, as well as the effects of social interaction via communication technologies on identity and well-being.
Bio
Amy Gonzales is interested in the psychological and tangible consequences of internet-based social interactions. She is especially interested in these phenomena for people from disadvantaged communities (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, low-income populations, LGBTQ individuals, etc.). Her work aims to advance theoretical understanding and real-world solutions that may help mitigate the long-term consequences of new digital infrastructures that may otherwise exacerbate social inequalities. She has published in leading journals in the field of communication, including Journal of Communication, Communication Research, New Media & Society, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Media Psychology, Computers in Human Behavior, Information, Communication & Society, and Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking.
Education
Ph.D. (2010), Cornell University, Communication Science
- Assistant Professor
Media and Digital Communication, Media Psychology, Decision Science, Media Effects
Kristy Hamilton (she/they) uses experimental methods to understand the qualities and liabilities of human memory and cognition in a digital environment.
Bio
Their research and theoretical interests are driven by a goal of understanding how to help people become more effective thinkers in a digital landscape. Dr. Hamilton's current research program investigates three interrelated characteristics of sophisticated thinkers in our digital landscape. Those are: 1) understanding how various cognitive strategies made possible by digital media influence short- and long- term communicative and cognitive goals, 2) knowing how technology users monitor and control the state of information available “in the head” and information out in the world in pursuit of their various goals, and 3) understanding how certain characteristics of technology can impair monitoring and control processes. They have published in journals such as Computers in Human Behavior, Applied Cognitive Psychology, Journal of Media Psychology, and New Media & Society.
Education
Ph.D. (2020), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Institute of Communications Research
B.A. (2016), Trinity University, Psychology and Communication
- Professor and Department Vice Chair
Interpersonal and Intergroup Communication, Health Communication, Relational Communication, Resilience & Thriving, Health & Wellness, Immigration
Jennifer Kam uses quantitative and qualitative methods to examine how stressors, rooted in structural barriers, are associated with the health and wellbeing of immigrants in the United States. In addition, she conducts research to identify promotive factors at different levels (e.g., individual, interpersonal, community, institutional, cultural) that can contribute to resilience and thriving.
Bio
Dr. Jennifer Kam is Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Communication at UCSB, and she is a Faculty Affiliate with the Chicano Studies Institute and the Migration Initiative at UCSB. She also currently directs the Division of Social Sciences Faculty Mentoring Program.
Dr. Kam has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, most of which can be found in top communication, prevention, and adolescent journals such as Communication Monographs, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Health Communication, Journal of Counseling Psychology, Prevention Science, and Journal of Research on Adolescence. In addition, she has presented over 50 papers at national and international conferences and has received 13 top paper awards. She is the former Chair of the Health Communication Division at the National Communication Association, and she received the 2016 Early Career Award from the Interpersonal Communication Division and the 2022 Promoting Equity and Inclusivity Award from the Health Communication Division. She is currently on the editorial boards of Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Communication Research, and Communication Monographs. Related to her research interests, Dr. Kam teaches undergraduate courses in interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, and risk communication. She teaches graduate seminars in health communication and interpersonal communication.
Education
Ph.D. (2009) Pennsylvania State University, Department of Communication Arts and Sciences
M.A. (2004) San Diego State University, School of Communication
B.A. (2002) University of California, Davis, Communication and English Departments
- Assistant Professor
Organizational & Group Communication, The Future of Work, Distributed Work, Technology in Organizations, Small Group Communication, Global Teams, Collaboration
Young Ji Kim's research is centered around team collaboration. Her primary focus is on investigating the impact of various factors such as team composition, communication processes, and emerging technologies on team performance and productivity.
Bio
Young Ji Kim received her PhD in communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. Her research focuses on group collaboration, collective intelligence, and the social and organizational implications of technology. Before joining UCSB, she worked as a postdoctoral associate at the Center for Collective Intelligence at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Professor Kim has received several top paper awards for her research from the International Communication Association, the National Communication Association, and the Academy of Management. She has also been recognized for her excellence in teaching, winning a university-wide teaching award while at USC, and for her service at UCSB. Currently, Professor Kim is exploring communication-related factors that contribute to collective intelligence, investigating how humans and machines can collaborate to enhance collective intelligence, and examining the ways in which group communication processes facilitate the benefits of group diversity. Her work on human-machine teaming has earned her a competitive award from the Department of Defense Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program, which will provide support for her research from 2021 to 2024.
Education
Ph. D. (2014), University of Southern California, Communication
- Assistant Professor
Media and Digital Communication, Political Communication, Intergroup Communication, Social Media, Marginalization and Inequality, Media Effects
Dan Lane's research and teaching explore how individuals and groups use communication technology to create social and political change. His recent work focuses on how technologies like social media shape political inequality.
Bio
Dan Lane is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara and director of the UCSB Digital Political Inequality Lab. Working at the intersection of political communication, intergroup communication, and communication technology, his current interconnected lines of research examine how political expression on social media can stimulate political engagement, improve intergroup relations, and reduce political inequality. These interests have their origins in Dan’s time as the founder of Good Eye Video, a digital storytelling company working with non-profits and social causes around the globe. His research has appeared in outlets such as the Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Information, Communication & Society, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Human Communication Research, and Social Media + Society.
Education
Ph.D. (2019), University of Michigan, Communication Studies
B.S. (2004), Syracuse University, Television, Radio, & Film
- Professor
Communication and Law, Race, Media Effects, Social Psychology
- Professor & Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Personnel
Media Psychology; Media Effects on Stereotyping, Identity, & Ethnicity/Race; Intergroup Communication; Content Analysis
- (805) 893-5346
- SSMS 4413
- mastro [at] comm.ucsb.edu
- Associate Professor
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication, Relational Communication, Well-being
Andy Merolla studies the link between interpersonal communication and well-being. His current research analyzes the interrelationships between communication, emotion, and cognition in everyday interaction.
Bio
Andy’s research examines various communication processes, such as conflict management, interpersonal forgiveness, and relational maintenance. Using approaches such as experience sampling, his most current research analyzes how patterns of everyday talk (within "social biomes") are associated with social and emotional connection. Some of his recent research also explores the role of communication in constructing hope and the important role that hope plays in managing difficult life situations. Andy’s research can be found in journals such as Communication Monographs, Communication Research, Communication Theory, Human Communication Research, and the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. At UCSB, Andy teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in communication theory, conflict management, interpersonal communication, and nonverbal communication. In 2021, he received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the UCSB Academic Senate.
Education
Ph.D. (2007), The Ohio State University, Communication
M.A. (2003), West Virginia University, Communication Studies
B.A. (2002), Baldwin-Wallace College, Speech Communication
Recent Journal Articles:
- Professor
Media and Digital Communication, Credibility/deception, Privacy
Dr. Metzger’s research seeks to understand the individual and societal effects of using information and communication technology by studying the forces that shape people’s trust of and perceptions about online information. More specifically, her work employs quantitative social science methods to study the ways in which digital communication technologies challenge users’ ability to evaluate the credibility of information online and negotiate privacy decisions.
Bio
Dr. Metzger earned her doctorate from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California and has been teaching at UCSB since 1998. She is also affiliated with the Center for Information, Technology and Society and the Center for Responsible Machine Learning at UCSB. Dr. Metzger’s research appears in the top journals in her discipline including, for example, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, New Media & Society, and Media Psychology as well as in interdisciplinary journals such as Science, Journal of the American Society for Information Science & Technology, and Computers in Human Behavior. She has served on the editorial board of several disciplinary journals, including as Associate Editor for the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Dr. Metzger has also delivered numerous keynote speeches around the world on topics such as fake news and misinformation, and how people manage their privacy in online environments.
Download her co-edited books published by MIT Press here: Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility and Kids & Credibility: An Empirical Examination. A full list of Dr. Metzger’s research publications is available on Google Scholar.
Education
Ph.D. (1997), Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, Communication Theory and Research
- Senior Continuing Lecturer
- Emerita
Media and Digital Communication, Research Methods
Dolly Mullin’s primary interests while at UCSB were in teaching communication to undergraduates and building the instructional skills of our graduate student Teaching Assistants. She specialized in teaching large introductory courses, including research methods, theory, and a broad introduction to the communication discipline.
Bio
Dolly Mullin joined the faculty as a Lecturer in 1996, after serving many years as a Teaching Assistant at UCSB while completing her Ph.D. Her scholarly research was in the area of media policy and effects, but early in her career she shifted her emphasis from research to instruction. She became passionate about teaching large pre-major courses, particularly Introduction to Communication (Comm 1) and Communication Research Methods (Comm 88), serving more than 1,500 students each year. She was recognized for her excellence in teaching with a Distinguished Teaching Award. She was also actively involved in UCSB’s programs to support effective teaching and improve student learning, including the Center for Innovative Teaching, Research, and Learning (CITRAL) and the Transfer Student Center. Dr. Mullin was also the Department’s TA Coordinator, training new graduate student Teaching Assistants through her seminar Teaching College Communication (Comm 500). She supervised many TAs in her classes, always with an aim to promote excellent teaching skills among the professors of the future. Dr. Mullin retired in 2023, but continues to stay active in communication instruction, particularly in her ongoing work as an author on a premier introductory textbook, Real Communication.
Education
Ph.D. (1998), UC Santa Barbara, Department of Communication
- Professor
- Affliate in the Technology Management Department
Organizational and Group Communication, Socialization/Assimilation, Emotions at Work, Work-life Balance, Social Identity, Emotion, Communicative Constitution of Organizations
Karen K. Myers studies organizing including the communicative constitution of organizations and workplace interactions including socialization/assimilation of newcomers, emotion management, intergenerational interactions and work-life balance. Her work often focuses on how these factors are associated with the development/erosion of organizational identification and worker wellbeing.
Bio
Karen K. Myers (Ph.D. Arizona State University) (myers@comm.ucsb.edu) is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a first-generation college student who graduated with a BS degree in Marketing from Arizona State University. After 12 years of owning and leading a business that researched, wrote and published organizational histories, she sold her business interests and entered graduate school at the University of New Mexico and earned an MA in Communication. She earned a PhD at Arizona State University and took her first job as an Assistant Professor at Purdue University. In 2007, she joined the Department of Communication at UC Santa Barbara. Karen Myers’ research includes membership negotiation (socialization, assimilation); vocational anticipatory socialization; the communicative constitution of organizations; emotions in the workplace, generational cohorts in the workplace, workplace flexibility; and organizational identification. She uses qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. Her work has appeared in Management Communication Quarterly, Human Communication Research, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Communication Monographs, Communication Yearbook, Human Relations and elsewhere. Karen is a co-founder of the Department of Communication’s Alumni Council and was the founding faculty advisor to UCSB’s Marketing Association. She was an Associate Dean in the Graduate Division and remains passionate about graduate education.
Education
Ph.D. (2005), Arizona State University, Organizational Communication
M.A. (2001), University of New Mexico, Organizational Communication
B.A. (1985), Arizona State University, Business
- Professor
- Media Effects & Health Communication
Emotion, Well-Being, Mass Media Effects, Persuasion, Health Communication
- Professor
Media and Digital Communication, Media Effects, Media Literacy
Jim Potter's scholarship is concerned with increasing knowledge about media effects, media literacy, and the sociology of knowledge.
Bio
Like many media scholars, Jim Potter started his academic career by producing empirical studies. By mid-career his focus had shifted into synthesizing findings across empirical studies to create large scale knowledge structures about media effects and media literacy. This shift stimulated him to publish 29 books on various topics, including Cognitive Theory of Media Literacy (2004), Digital Media Effects (2021), and Media Literacy, which has grown to be an international best seller that is now in its 10th edition. In 2009, he created Lineation Theory as a synthesis of knowledge about media industries, content, audiences, and effects into a single system of explanation. After serving as an editor of the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, his scholarly focus shifted into critically analyzing scholarly literatures to identify non-productive practices that have been preventing research designs and theories from making a greater contribution toward building useful knowledge. This interest in constructive criticism has led him to publish a dozen articles as well as several books, including The 11 Myths of Media Violence (2003) and Major Theories of Media Effects (2019).
Education
Ph.D. Indiana University (Instructional System Technology)
Ph.D. Florida State University (Communication Theory and Research)
B.A. Pacific Lutheran University (English Literature)
- Distinguished Research Professor Emerita
Organizational Communication, Paradoxes and Contradictions in Organizations, Negotiation and Conflict Management, Discourse and Organizations
- Professor
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication
Scott Reid is interested in the role of communication in group processes and intergroup relations. His work is largely focused on social identity theories and more recently in evolutionary explanations.
Education
PhD. (2001), University of Queensland, Australia, Department of Psychology
MSc. (1997), Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Department of Psychology
Dipl. Sci. (1996), University of Otago, New Zealand, Department of Psychology
BSc. (1995), University of Otago, New Zealand, Department of Psychology
- Distinguished Professor
- Arthur N. Rupe Endowed Professor
- in the Social Effects of Mass Communication
Media & Digital Communication, Organizational & Group Communication, Computer-Mediated Communication, Environmental/science Communication, Technology in Organizations, Innovation, Networks
Research interests include environmental communication, public communication campaigns, methodology, organizational and management theory, information science and bibliometrics, social uses and effects of new media and information systems, and social networks.
Bio
Dr. Rice has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from University of Montreal (2010), elected as an ICA Fellow, selected President of the ICA (2006-2007), awarded a Fulbright Award to Finland (2006), and appointed as the Wee Kim Wee Professor at the School of Communication and Information and the Visiting University Professor, both at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore (Augusts 2007-2009 and June 2010). His co-authored or (co)edited books include the Oxford Handbook of Digital Technology and Society (2020); Organizations and unusual routines: A systems analysis of dysfunctional feedback processes (2010); Media ownership: Research and regulation (2008); The Internet and health care: Theory, research and practice (2006); Social consequences of Internet use: Access, involvement and interaction (2002); The Internet and health communication (2001); Accessing and browsing information and communication (2001); Public communication campaigns (1981, 1989, 2001, 2012); Research methods and the new media (1988); Managing organizational innovation (1987); and The new media: communication, research and technology (1984). He has published over 230 refereed journal articles and book chapters. He teaches and conducts research in environmental communication, public communication campaigns, methodology, organizational and management theory, information science and bibliometrics, social uses and effects of new media and information systems, content analysis, and social networks.
Education
Stanford University - M.A. 1978, Ph.D. 1982 (Communication research)
Virginia Commonwealth University - 1972/76 (various courses)
Columbia University - B.A. 1971 (English literature)
- Associate Professor
Media and Digital Communication, Media Psychology, Media & Identity, Social Identity, Intergroup Relations, Media Effects
Muniba Saleem studies how media affects interpersonal and intergroup relations between racial, ethnic, and religious groups using social scientific methods. Recent work also examines how racial-ethnic minorities use and cope with media environments.
Bio
Muniba Saleem obtained her PhD in Social Psychology from Iowa State University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Decision Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Saleem studies how media affects interpersonal and intergroup relations between racial, ethnic, and religious groups using social scientific methods. Applying social psychological theories, Muniba has studied the effects of media representations of marginalized groups in violent contexts on hostile attitudes and support for harmful policies towards depicted members (Saleem & Anderson, 2013; Saleem et al., 2017). Recent work has examined how the same negative media depictions influence minority members' social, psychological, and political outcomes (Saleem et al., 2023). Longitudinal and experimental research reveals that negative media depictions adversely influence immigrants' integration and trust in American politics (Saleem et al., 2019) but at the same time minorities are motivated to seek collective action to improve their ingroup's image and status in the larger society (Saleem et al., 2020; 2023). Dr. Saleem's work has been published in journals such as Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Child Development, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and American Psychologist. Her research has been funded by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, and Facebook.
Education
Ph.D. in Social Psychology, Iowa State University.
Twitter: @niba_saleem
- Distinguished Professor
Organizational & Group Communication, Globalization. Corporate Social Responsibility, Collective Action, Networks, Digital Transformation, Memorable Messages
Cynthia Stohl's most recent research and teaching address global organizational dynamics related to corporate social responsibility, collective action, emerging communication technologies and the management of visibility in the digital age. Her work is grounded in a concern for human rights, organizational ethics, and social transformation.
Bio
Cynthia Stohl (Ph.D., Purdue University) is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is past director of the Center for Information Technology and Society at UCSB. Before arriving at UCSB Cynthia was the Margaret Church Distinguished Professor of Communication at Purdue University. She has been elected Fellow of the International Communication Association, Distinguished Scholar of the National Communication Association and has held honorary professorships in Denmark, France and New Zealand, Cynthia’s research has been influential in many disciplines including organizational, political, media and interpersonal communication as well as management and political science. She has published two award winning books, Organizational Communication: Connectedness in Action (Sage Publications, 1995) and Collective Action in Organizations: Interaction and Engagement in an Era of Technological Change (with B. Bimber andA Flanagin, Cambridge University Press, 2012,) as well over 120 articles and book chapters, many of which have received international awards. Cynthia is a past president of the International Communication Association.
Education
Ph.D. (1982), Purdue University
M.A. (1978), Purdue University
B.S. (1969), State University College of New York at Buffalo
- Distinguished Professor
Organizational and group communication
Topics: Political Communication, Terrorism, Human Rights
Michael Stohl’s research employs a wide range of methods to explore both human rights political violence and media reporting and its impact on public and governmental behavior and opinion and the organizations that employ terrorism and promote human rights.
Michael Stohl joined the Department of Communication in January 2002. Formerly he was Dean of International Programs and Professor of Political Science at Purdue University. Dr. Stohl's research focuses on organizational and political communication with special reference to terrorism, human rights, and global relations. Dr. Stohl is a Fellow of the International Communication Association and has been the recipient of numerous other fellowships and awards, including the International Communication Association Applied/Public Policy Research Award for career work on State Terrorism and Human Rights in 2011, the International Communication Association 2008 Outstanding Article Award for Stohl, C. and Stohl, M. 2007, “Networks of Terror: Theoretical Assumptions and Pragmatic Consequences” Communication Theory 47,2: 93-124, a Fulbright Fellowship at the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Arhus, Denmark in 2013, a Fulbright Fellowship for International Education Administrators in Japan and Korea in 1989 and a Senior Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1983. He was Chair of the UCSB Department of Communication from 2004-2010, the Director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies at UCSB from 2014-2019, and is an affiliate faculty member of the Departments of Political Science and Global Studies at UCSB.
Education:
A.B. State University of New York at Buffalo, Political Science, 1969
M.A. Northwestern University, Political Science, 1970
Ph.D. Northwestern University, Political Science, 1974
- Lecturer
Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication, Relational Communication, Health & Wellness, Well-being
Nikki Truscelli’s primary focus is creating spaces and opportunities for meaningful human connection. Nikki specializes in relational communication and close relationships, specifically examining the intersections of said relationships and well-being.
Bio
Nikki completed her PhD in Communication alongside an MA in Counseling and seeks to create more Communication courses that practice and embody what meaningful dialogue looks like, both in the classroom and beyond. Nikki is particularly passionate about providing students the opportunity of experiential practice in conversation and guiding students on how to be with others, especially during challenging times. She enjoys exploring the role of communication as central to fostering and maintaining meaningful connections in our lives, from everyday interactions to intimate conversations.
Education
Ph.D. Communication, Arizona State University (2020)
M.A. Counseling, Arizona State University (2021)
M.A. Communication, San Diego State University (2016)
B.A. Communication Studies, California State University, Chico (2014)
- Distinguished Professor
- Bertelsen Presidential Chair in Technology and Society
Media & Digital Communication, Interpersonal & Intergroup Communication, Organizational & Group Communication, Computer-Mediated Communication, Relational Communication, Technological Influences on Relationships, Media Psychology, Social Media, Hate Speech
Joe Walther has developed several original theories and numerous empirical studies on the interpersonal aspects of computer-mediated communication and social media. His work focuses on the impact of interpersonal and intergroup dynamics in the attitudes and behaviors people develop via mediated interaction, in personal relationships, groups, and intergroup conflict.
Bio
Joseph B. Walther holds the Bertelsen Presidential Chair in Technology and Society at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he is a Distinguished Professor of Communication, and Director of the Center for Information Technology and Society. A former Fulbright Scholar, a Fellow of the International Communication Association, and a Distinguished Scholar in the National Communication Association, his research focuses on the impact of interpersonal and intergroup dynamics in the attitudes and behaviors people develop via mediated interaction, in personal relationships, groups, and inter-ethnic conflict. He developed the social information processing theory of mediated communication, the hyperpersonal model of online communication (by which people experience exceptionally intense emotions and connections), and warranting theory, among others, accompanied by numerous behavioral studies. He is currently extending his work into new explanations for online hate.
Education
PhD, Communication, University of Arizona, 1990
- Professor
Media and Digital Communication, Media Neuroscience, Media Psychology, Media Effects
René Weber studies complex cognitive responses to mass communication and mediated narratives with an emphasis on the neural mechanisms of moral conflict, persuasion, media violence, cognitive control, and flow experiences.
Bio
René Weber received his Ph.D. (Dr.rer.nat.) in Psychology from the University of Technology in Berlin, Germany, and his M.D. (Dr.rer.medic.) in Psychiatry and Cognitive Neuroscience from the RWTH University in Aachen, Germany. He is a Professor in the Department of Communication and in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California in Santa Barbara, and director of UCSB’s Media Neuroscience Lab. His lab investigates complex cognitive responses to mass communication and mediated narratives with an emphasis on the neural mechanisms of moral conflict, persuasion, media violence, cognitive control, and flow experiences. Current projects focus on the relationships between media-multitasking and attention disorders (ADHD), compulsive media use, and on the analysis of moral narratives and moral conflict in global news and entertainment. He was the first communication scholar to regularly use fMRI to investigate various media effects, from the impact of violence in video games to the effectiveness of anti-drug PSAs. He has published four books and more than 160 journal articles and book chapters (October, 2022). His research has been supported by grants from national scientific foundations in the United States and Germany, as well as through private philanthropies and industry contracts. He is a Fellow of the International Communication Association.
Education
M.D. Psychiatry and Cognitive Neuroscience (2008) RWTH University Aachen, Germany
Ph.D. Psychology (2000) Berlin University of Technology, Germany
M.A./B.A. Business Administration (1995) Berlin University of Technology, Germany
M.A./B.A. Communication (1993) Berlin University of Arts, Germany
- 805-893-2156
- SSMS 4405
- SSMS 4323 (Media Neuroscience Lab)
- SSMS 4443 (Media Neuroscience Lab)