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Faculty
Colin M. Maclay currently serves as Research Professor and Executive Director of the Annenberg Innovation Lab at USC. Situated at the intersections of disciplines, sectors and communities, the Lab takes a think + do approach to exploring relationships among media, technology, culture and society. Colin has long been motivated to understand how radical changes in…
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François Bar is Professor of Communication and Spatial Sciences at the University of Southern California. He serves on the Annenberg Innovation Lab research council and is a steering committee member of the Annenberg Research Network on International Communication. His research and teaching explore the social and economic impacts of information technologies, with a specific focus on telecommunication…
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Hernán Galperin (Ph.D., Stanford University) is Professor of Communication and Director of Doctoral Studies at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, where he is also Director of the Annenberg Research Network on International Communication. Prof. Galperin is an internationally recognized expert on Internet policy and digital inequality. His research uses surveys, field…
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Jonathan Aronson is Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California, as well as Professor of International Relations at USC. Professor Aronson writes on issues related to international communication policy, globalization and international trade and trade negotiations. His current research focuses on ways in which communication and…
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Manuel Castells is University Professor and the Wallis Annenberg Chair in Communication Technology and Society at the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles. He is Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and holds joint appointments in the Department of Sociology, in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development, and in the…
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USC Annenberg Assistant Professor of Communication Marlon Twyman is a quantitative social scientist specializing in advanced computational and statistical methods, with a particular focus on social network analysis. By merging perspectives from social networks, organizational behavior and computational social science, his research program focuses on how teams, online communities and organizations form and interact in the digital…
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Su Jung Kim is an Associate Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. She is also the Co-Founder of the CAKE (Computational Advertising Knowledge Exchange) group, a community of scholars and practitioners interested in applying computational approaches to advertising research. She is interested in how audience behavior takes shape in the digital media…
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Alejandro is a doctoral student in Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California. He aims to unpack the tensions and opportunities arising from at the intersection of datafication, social change, and governance. His research is influenced by the fields of Critical Data Studies, Communication and Science and Technology Studies (STS) with an emphasis on collective action, publics…
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Alphoncina Lyamuya is a doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California. Her research focuses on the use and legitimation of emerging digital technologies and automated decision-making systems by governments and transnational organizations in migration management and humanitarian governance. She also looks at ways the digitalization and automation of…
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Angel Chavez-Penate, is a Master’s student in the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California, studying applied data science. He earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of Southern California with a minor in Business Finance. Angel’s research interests lie in communications and machine learning. His past research centered around price…
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Eugene Jang is a doctoral student at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and a Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (KFAS) fellow. Prior to joining Annenberg, she graduated from Seoul National University (SNU), receiving her B.A. and M.A. in Communication. She formerly served as a research assistant at the SNU Big Data Institute and…
Read More »Sarah Nguyen is a PhD student at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication. Her research interests lie in the field of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Society, with a focus on technology for social change, digital humanities and (in)equalities. Her studies investigate the role technology and new media, such as the mobile phone and Internet, play…
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Juan Ortiz Freuler is an incoming PhD student at Annenberg, and an Affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center. Juan explores how political systems can be affected by design choices at the internet and web layers of the stack. Juan is also Co-Initiator of the Non-Aligned Tech Movement, an Associate at JustLabs and a member of…
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Ke M. Huang-Isherwood is a licensed attorney and social science scholar. Her research areas are at the intersection of communication and law, which include digital literacy, gamification, and social influence. Ke employs communication network and media psychology theories, and quantitative methodologies. Her previous survey research and social intervention work has been funded by the Center…
Read More »Kyooeun is interested in platform governance, specifically the influence of big tech on shaping norms in content governance. She received her MA from Harvard University’s Regional Studies East Asia program. Her master’s thesis explored how the monetization of social media platforms has affected the conceptualization of gender and work amongst female millennials in South…
Read More »Paulina Lanz is a PhD student at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication. She identifies in buildings and urban place a source of memoirs and nostalgia, which are essential to media foundations. Alongside her academic background with a BA in Communications and an MA in Art Studies from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City), cities have led her to…
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Soyun is a Ph.D. student at USC Annenberg. Her research explores how information technologies, communication practices, and political systems interact to bring about social change. Prior to USC, she earned her MA in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and BA in Law from Yonsei University in South Korea. In between, she…
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Araba is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Washington’s Information School. She studies the social and economic implications of information and communication technologies (ICT) in developing countries. Her areas of interest include industry and user appropriation of mobile phones in low and middle-income countries, micro-entrepreneurship in the mobile phone industry, ICTs and disability,…
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Dr. Arul Chib, Associate Professor at Nanyang Technological University, and Director of the Singapore Internet Research Center, studies the contribution of information and communication technologies towards positive development outcomes. His research agenda focuses on the impact and role of mobile phones in healthcare systems in resource-constrained environments of developing countries, and in transnational migration to…
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Eduardo Gonzalez is a doctoral student at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. His research focuses on immigration politics and violence in news media and popular culture. Gonzalez’s work also explores the digital divide and disparities in access with economically disenfranchised immigrant communities in the U.S., Latin America, and the Middle East. Gonzalez’s…
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Heonuk Ha is a Ph.D. student of the USC Price School of Public Policy. His research focus lies on the political economy of federal fiscal policy, particularly the works and strategies of the federal bureaucracy in the federal budget process. In addition, he has been involved in various research projects in housing policy by using…
Read More »Hyun Tae (Calvin) Kim is a doctoral student at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Broadly speaking, his research is situated in media, political, and cultural psychology, seeking to shed light on the influence of different cultural and national identities on attitudinal and behavioral metrics pertaining to social change. When…
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Jack Linchuan Qiu is a Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he serves as deputy director of the C-Centre (Centre for Chinese Media and Comparative Communication Research). His publications include World’s Factory in the Information Era 信息时代的世界工厂 (Guangxi Normal University Press, 2013),Working-Class Network Society (MIT Press,…
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Before joining Annenberg as a PhD student, Jingyi Sun was a TV professional with China Central TV for nearly seven years. She worked in the exciting and challenging field of international news reporting for five years, during which she gained substantial knowledge about international affairs, and then joined a feature talk show program dedicated to…
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Kurt is a first-year PhD student in Urban Planning and Development at the Price School of Public Policy, and is currently studying the implications of the digital divide in Skid Row and beyond with ARNIC. More broadly, his research interests lie in the areas of homelessness, community planning, critical GIS, and recently, queer studies. Kurt…
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Lichen Zhen is a Ph.D. student at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. Prior to joining Annenberg, she received her B.A. in Journalism from Wuhan University and her M.A. from the Radio, Television and Film department at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests lie at the…
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Dr. Martin Hilbert pursues a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the role of information, communication, and knowledge in the development of complex social systems. He holds doctorates in Economics and Social Sciences (2006; F.A.U. Germany), and in Communication (2012; University of Southern California, USC). Before joining UC Davis, he created and coordinated the Information Society Programme…
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Matthew N. Bui researches the potential for, and obstacles to, social and political change through the use of communication and technology as tools for intervention. He is particularly interested in issues pertaining to diversity and empowerment within urban communities, and how national and international digital policies and initiatives can foster civic engagement and economic development.…
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Nahoi Koo received her B.A. in Communication Studies and Economics from Northwestern University. She also has a minor degree in Chinese Language & Culture. During her undergraduate years, she spent her summers studying abroad at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China and Korea University in Seoul, South Korea. She has also completed internships at Edelman PR…
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Namkee Park is Associate Professor and Underwood Distinguished Professor at the Department of Communication, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea. After graduating from the Annenberg School for Communication in 2007, he worked as an assistant professor at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Oklahoma (OU). Being tenured and promoted to an associate professor…
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Nathalie Maréchal is a PhD candidate in Communication at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and holds a BA in International Studies and MA in International Communication, both from American University. She has published articles about human rights advocacy in the digital age, surveillance of welfare recipients in the United…
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Nathaniel Ming Curran is a PhD student at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He holds a BA from the University of Wisconsin Madison and earned his MA at the University of California Berkeley. At Berkeley, he conducted research at the intersection of education, identity, and the English language in South Korea. His current…
Read More »Olivia Gonzalez is a PhD student at USC’s Annenberg School of Communication. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of San Diego with a B.A. in Communication Studies. Her honors thesis, “‘Mom and dad don’t get it’: Investigating Adolescents’ Motivations for Participating in the Internet Meme Genre”, explored how adolescents utilize Internet memes in…
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Rachel received a BA Hons (Cantab) in Social and Political Science at Selwyn College, Cambridge University, where she focused on political engagement and networks. She then went on to study Political Communications at Goldsmiths College, University of London, gaining top honors for her thesis on media indexing in the reporting of the 2012 Benghazi attacks.…
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Rong Wang is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Networks for Non-profit and Social Impact (NNSI) at Northwestern University. She is interested in non-profit advocacy, network analysis, organizational communication, and ICT for development. At NNSI, she is currently working on an Army Research Office (ARO) grant examining collective impact and education reform. Rong has published her…
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A proud “northerner” from the UK, Sarah Clayton earned her BA in New Media and her LLM in Cyberlaw from the University of Leeds. Her undergraduate thesis examined the IPTV regulatory landscape and her focus shifted to human rights, intellectual property, and access to knowledge during her LLM. While at university, she coauthored a book…
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Seungyoon Lee, Associate Professor at the Brian Lamb School of Communication, Purdue University, received her Ph.D. in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California in 2008. Her research interest focuses on the evolution of communication, knowledge, and collaboration networks in and across organizations over time. Her current…
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Specializing in global development impact and effectiveness, Shabnam Shalizi’s doctoral work at USC builds on her applied experience as a practitioner leading and supporting engagements in diverse landscapes, including the volatile setting of war. Her emphasis on communications and change stems from her performance measurement portfolio across multiple countries and sectors, including women’s economic empowerment,…
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Sierra Bray is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Annenberg School of Communication. Passionate about bridging the principles of organizational communication with critical and cultural theory, Sierra’s research areas include the social construction of power in organizations, the effects of gender dynamics and gender stereotypes on group members, and the relationship of technology to historically marginalized…
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Sulafa Zidani is a doctoral student at USC Annenberg. She researches new media, participatory culture, and digital language and power dynamics, with special interest in China and the Arab World. Sulafa is a speaker of English, Arabic, Hebrew, Mandarin, and French. Prior to joining Annenberg, she worked as a teacher, research assistant, and translator in…
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Thai (he/him) earned his Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, where his research focused on issues of social equity. Thai is currently the Turpanjian Postdoctoral Fellow in Civil Society and Social Change at the Equity Research Institute. As a mixed-methods researcher, Dr. Le utilizes statistical models,…
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Xiangyu Li is an MPL student in the Urban Planning program at the Sol Price School of Public Policy, and currently involved in the Connected Cities project with ARNIC. He received his B.E. in GIS and Cartography from Tongji University. He is also a partner of Beijing Tanizon LLC—a startup focuses on providing industrial photogrammetry and…
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Annette M. Kim, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the Sol Price School of Public Policy. She is also the Director of SLAB, the newly formed spatial analysis laboratory at Price that advances the visualization of the social sciences for public service through teaching, research, and public engagement. Her current research examines the livelihood strategies of…
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Dr Ellen Helsper is Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor in the Media and Communications Department at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her current research interests include the links between social and digital inclusion; (digital) media audiences, mediated interpersonal communication; and quantitative and qualitative methodological developments in media research. She is currently…
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Frank Nagle is an Assistant Professor of Strategy at the Marshall School of Business at USC. He studies the economics of IT and digitization with a focus on free digital goods using large datasets from online social networks, financial market information, and surveys of enterprise IT usage. His research examines how the digital economy and…
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Judith Mariscal (Ph.D. in Public Policy from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin) is Professor at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) and Director of the Telecommunications Research Program (Telecom-CIDE). Telecom-CIDE has been creating and disseminating knowledge on ICT for development for the past fifteen years. She is a…
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Dr. Matt Rafalow is Sociologist (PhD, University of California-Irvine), a social scientist at Google (YouTube), and a Research Fellow at USC Annenberg. At Google he manages a research team studying new experiences on YouTube. Most of his research focuses on digital inequality in education and through creative production online. He is the author of Digital Divisions: How Schools Create Inequality in the Tech…
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Dr. Catherine Nyaki Adeya-Weya is an Information Scientist with knowledge and skills in information development issues. These include social, political and economic potential and impacts of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) particularly in Africa. Dr. Adeya-Weya has over 20 years experience in ICTs research having worked for agencies like the United Nations University/Institute for New…
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Eleanor Marchant is a PhD Candidate in Communications and at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. She has just returned from a year of ethnographic fieldwork examining the growth of the local technology startup scene in Nairobi, Kenya. Her dissertation explores how both global and local narratives about technology, entrepreneurship, and development –…
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Dr. Erezi Ruth Ogbo is a postdoctoral associate researcher working with Professors François Bar and Hernan Galperin to identify how best to sustainably connect low-income households to high-speed Internet service they can afford and use. She is currently on a one-year leave from North Carolina Central University, where she serves as a visiting assistant professor…
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Gabriel Laender is a Brazilian attorney, ICT researcher and legal tech entrepreneur. He was policy advisor to the Strategic Affairs Secretariat of the President´s Office (SAE), and later became telecommunication advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Executive Office of the President (Casa Civil), where he coordinated the regulatory aspects of the Brazilian National…
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Dr. Karen Arriaza Ibarra is a professor in Audiovisual Communication at the Faculty of Information Sciences and the Director of the Research Group “The Nordic and Spanish Models in the Information Society”, both at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain. Since 2016, she is also the Chair of the ‘International Communication’ section of IAMCR (International Assoc.…
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Marcio Iorio Aranha is a tenured Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law at the University of Brasilia School of Law, Coordinator of the Center on Law and Regulation (www.ndsr.org) and Director of the Center for Communications Policy, Law, Economics and Technology (CCOM) at the University of Brasilia. He is a Research Affiliate with the Annenberg Research…
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Mobile communication has been one of her main areas of study since 2003, with a combined sociological and economic focus. Her interests are set both in developed and in developing countries. With a background in economics, she holds a Ph.D. from the University of Barcelona. She approaches research from a multidisciplinary point of view, combining…
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Natascha Just is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Information at Michigan State University. Prior to joining MSU, she was a senior research and teaching associate in the Media Change & Innovation Division, Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research (IPMZ), University of Zurich, Switzerland (2008-2016); a Hertha Firnberg Scholar at the…
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Raul Roman is the founder and executive director of DAWNING (www.dawning.org), a DC-based international organization focused on human-centered qualitative social science on environmental and social issues across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He leads multidisciplinary teams into the field to work on research projects that bring together the social sciences with other branches of science,…
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Dr. V. Sridhar is Professor at the Centre for IT and Public Policy at the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B), India. He is the author of three books: The Telecom Revolution in India: Technology, Regulation and Policy (2012), The Dynamics of Spectrum Management: Legacy, Technology, and Economics (2014), and Emerging ICT Policies and…
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