Our Journalism & Mass Communications Experts

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 Professor Mugur Geana.

Immersion, Computation, and Expression Group

Our research group undertakes mixed-methods-based and interdisciplinary research projects focused on advertising and public relations that examine consumer behavior through emerging technologies such as generative-AI, virtual reality, and digital games. The group is committed to promoting access and belonging in journalism and mass communications research and practice. 

If you are interested in joining the group, contact Assistant Professor Vaibhav Diwanji.

Media Representation Research Group

We utilize various qualitative, quantitative and critical approaches to analyze the construction and dissemination of identities through all forms of mass media.

If you are interested in joining the Media Representation Research Group, contact assistant professor Steve Bien-Aimé. 

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.

Computational Health and Risk Communication Group

This group will delve into multimodal data (i.e., text, image, audio, video) on health and risk topics—broadly defined—with a special focus on vulnerable communities. We will combine computational methods (e.g., natural language processing, computer vision, multimodal LLM) with other methodological approaches, and prior programming experience is not required. Group members of diverse methodological backgrounds are equally welcome. 

If you are interested in joining the Computational Health and Risk Communication Group, please contact assistant professor Yunwen Wang. 

Grant Writing Learning Circle

This hands-on learning circle will provide opportunities for faculty to receive tailored feedback and resources regarding their grant writing projects. Contact Professor Hyunjin Seo for more information.