Veranika Paltaratskaya

Email: vp21@illinois.edu Research Interests Veranika’s master’s thesis focused on the topic of time perception during media use. Her current research focuses on time perception, message fatigue, and computational approaches to communications research.  Veranika completed her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and art history at Emory University, and her master’s in advertising at UIUC. Recent Publications/Presentations Paltaratskaya, V., Wise, K. […]

Zixuan (Melodie) Zhao

Email: zixuan26@illinois.edu Research Interests Melodie is a doctoral student at the Institute of Communications Research, primarily researching the social and psychological effects of media messages and digital media use. Her specific interests revolve around the interactions between interactive media technologies and individuals’ identity, perceptions of “otherness,” and social relationships, as well as their role in driving […]

Junwei Zhang

Email: jz150@illinois.edu Research Interests Junwei’s research interests are centered around the relations between subjectivity, governmentality, global media network and the network’s interpretive power, which eradicate the boundary between public/private space, human/posthuman and self-governing/self-enslaving. Besides his academic research on communication and media, he is also a cross-disciplinary artist. Junwei received his master’s degree in fine arts from […]

Yewon Hong

Email: yewonh2@illinois.edu Research Interests Cuteness, aesthetics, affect, game, critical theory, cultural studies, cultural analysis Recent Publications/Presentations Puzar, Aljosa and Yewon Hong. “Korean Cuties: Understanding the Performed Winsomeness (Aegyo) of South Korean Women.” Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, vol.19, no. 4, 2018: pp. 333 – 349.  Hong, Yewon and Dustin Hellberg. “Transient Labor: Past and Present of […]

Wei Xiao

Email: weixiao8@Illinois.edu Research Interests Wei Xiao is a Ph.D student in ICR. She is broadly interested in exploring alternative approaches to the reasoning behind sharing dis/misinformation to debunk dis/misinformation or inoculate people against misinformation. Her research also involves technology policy topics, such as data privacy, free expression, and AI governance. While fighting traditional disinformation, Wei is equally […]

Nisa Rahman

Email: nisapr2@illinois.edu Research Interests Nisa Rahman is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Communications Research. Nisa’s research interest lies in emerging technologies and their effect on social behavior in the context of health communication. This exploration takes shape through studies utilizing anthropomorphic conversational agents, i.e., “chatbots” to debunk health misinformation and persuade behavior change, as […]

College of Media welcomes new faculty leadership roles, newly promoted faculty, and new faculty members

August 23, 2023 This fall welcomes two new heads of academic units, a new center director, a new associate head of advertising graduate studies, three faculty promotions, and two new faculty in the College of Media. Professor Michelle Nelson will serve as the head of the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising for a three-year […]

New journalism professor Alex Gonçalves explores social dynamics through data-driven insights

August 21, 2023 | Kelly Youngblood Alex Gonçalves believes a vibrant press is crucial to the future of democratic societies. He also knows the foundation of a dynamic media ecosystem is created in the classroom.  For that reason, it’s been his goal to work in journalism education since Gonçalves left the newsroom as a science […]

ICR emeritus professor and renowned scholar Norman Denzin passes away at 82

August 8, 2023 Norman Denzin, research professor emeritus of communications at the Institute of Communications Research, professor emeritus of media and cinema studies, and professor emeritus of sociology and humanities at the University of Illinois, passed away on August 6 at the age of 82. Denzin was one of the world’s foremost authorities on qualitative […]

College of Media
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810 S. Wright St.
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