Post-Graduate Fellows
Austin Beattie POST-GRADUATE FELLOW Austin Beattie, MA, is a fourth-year Doctoral Candidate at the University of Iowa. Austin earned a B.S. in Communication Studies and Economics from Northern Michigan University, and an M.A. in Communication from Western Michigan University. His research has focused primarily on interpersonal communication expectancies and impressions, which he has examined in computer-mediated communication (CMC), human-machine communication (HMC), and supportive communication contexts. Austin’s dissertation and current line of research work examines how characteristics of message and source influence the ways in which social support is engaged, facilitated, and evaluated via supportive human-machine communication (SHMC) - the use of technological platforms such as automated chatbots and artificial intelligence to buffer stress. Austin is co-advised by Dr. Kate Magsamen-Conrad and Dr. Andrew C. High (The Pennsylvania State University) |
Matthew Craig POST-GRADUATE FELLOW Matthew Craig is a Ph.D. student at Kent State University's College of Communication & Information. Matthew’s research focuses on Human-Machine Communication (HMC) and privacy management and disclosure. Specifically, he seeks to understand how humans communicate identity and negotiate privacy when interacting with and through communicative AI and computer-mediated communication contexts. See more about Matthew and his research here: www.matthewjacraig.com |
Henry Goble Post-graduate fellow Henry Goble is a Ph.D. student who is studying media and morality at Michigan State University. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Western Michigan University where he focused on human-machine communication. He received the all-university and department graduate research and creative scholar awards during the final semester of his MA program. His research involved the impact on social presence by Twitterbots with racial identity, how the use of vocal fillers by robots influence social presence, and communication privacy concerning voice-assisted digital shoppers. Henry’s current research is exploring how the linkage between moral domains and exemplar salience affects the formation of attitudes towards political policies. |
Xianlin Jin POST-GRADUATE FELLOW Xianlin Jin (Ph.D., University of Kentucky) is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication, the University of Toledo. Dr. Jin utilizes mixed methods and big data to explore health information seeking and communication, crisis communication, as well as the communication between social robotics and human beings during the risk information seeking process. information seeking process. |
Riley Richards Post-Graduate Fellow Riley Richards (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the Oregon Institute of Technology. He studies relational communication and behavior from a functionalist perspective, particularly in the context of relational goals, sexual communication, communication technology, taboo topics, and quasi-sexual relationships (e.g., human-robot). His most recent publications have appeared in Computers in Human Behavior and Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. More information about Riley and his research can be found at: rileyrichards.org |
Varun Rijhwani POST-GRADUATE FELLOW Varun Rijhwani is an exchange student at Western Michigan University from India. His Ph.D. is focused on understanding the nature of change and its impact when machines (the digital voice assistants) in the communication process replace humans. He is interested in exploring how the social self is shaped keeping in mind such interactions in the context of digital voice assistant devices, such as Alexa, Siri, Google Home, etc. Also, he wants to understand what kind of different relationships people build with anthropomorphized devices and how these relationships affect actual and intended future usage? Given that no communication is perfect, what are the barriers to the new type of communication that has evolved with the changing role of technology is something Varun is further interested in exploring. |
Adam Rainear Post-Graduate Fellow Adam M. Rainear (Ph.D.) is a Visiting Assistant Professor at West Chester University. Adam’s research interests are focused primarily in the fields of risk and science communication, with a specific focus on communicating the weather and climate to the public. His current research projects examine using new technology, such as robots and virtual reality, to effectively communicate risky and science-related messages, in addition to other projects which examine social media as a risk communication tool. His most recent publications have appeared in Computers in Human Behavior, Communication Research Reports, and Weather, Climate, & Society. |