Our Journalism & Mass Communications Experts
Our professors are top researchers in a wide range of journalism and communications areas and are available for collaboration, commentary or interviews. Choose a topic below for a list of our experts and their research specialities.
Journalism and Media Research Topics and Experts
Research Groups
Faculty and students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications work through research groups focused on specific issues related to communication and information, contributing to advancing scholarship and research-informed practical and policy recommendations. Please contact the group leader if you are interested in joining a group.
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.
Latest research news from KU Journalism and Mass Communications
A study by Associate Professor Mugur Geana found that an augmented reality lesson scored highly among users, who reported that they felt more engaged with the content than from a video lesson. However, objective data showed that those who interacted with the AR model learned less than those who…
Researchers analyzed how fact-checkers in four countries practice the craft in relation to the issue of climate change. They found that fact-checkers have different approaches and suggest the most effective tactic is to provide accurate, reliable and easy to understand information to the public.
A study by Assistant Professor Vaibhav Diwanji analyzed more than 1,000 AI-generated ads from across the web and found that they are only labeled as ads about half the time — and that they intentionally appeal to consumers in positive ways to influence them.