Current Students

William C. Barley wbarley@u.northwestern.edu	William Barley is a 3rd year PhD student in the Media, Technology and Society program. He is generally interested in how people use technology to support processes of organizing - particularly for the exchange and sharing of technical knowledge. Theoretically, he hopes to bridge the boundary between strategic individual actions, the materiality of technology and emergent group processes to explain organizational practices. Relying primarily on ethnographic methods, his current research concerns individuals' strategic use of physical and virtual objects to support the knowledge sharing in cross-functional engineering settings. Prior to coming to Northwestern, Barley studied automobile culture as a researcher at General Motors.
Courtney Blackwell CourtneyBlackwell2007@u.northwestern.edu	Courtney Blackwell is a first year PhD student in the Media, Technology, and Society program. Focusing on children’s media, she is primarily interested in how traditional and new digital media affect young people from a social, cognitive, and emotional perspective. She is particularly interested in how mobile technology is used in early childhood education and the implications this may have for education policy and ground-level practice. She holds a BA in English and Theatre from Northwestern University and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Alan Clark alan-clark@northwestern.edu	Alan Clark studies processes of communication and coordination and how they can be leveraged in the design of collaborative technologies. He analyzes patterns of gaze coordination, movement, and referential word choice in both mobile and stationary interaction contexts. He is also interested in modeling processes of how individuals’ different uses of newly introduced technologies converge on shared collaborative practices. More info on Alan's work can be found at alantclark.com .
Sabrina Connell SabrinaConnell2015@u.northwestern.edu	Sabrina Connell is a first year doctoral student in the Media, Technology, and Society program. Her research interests include young children's relationship with media and technology, joint media engagement among families, and the impact media and technology have on young children's cognitive, social, and emotional development. Prior to coming to Northwestern, Sabrina earned a Master’s degree in child development from Tufts University, as well as a Master of Arts in puppetry from the University of Connecticut. In addition to scholarly pursuits, Sabrina has been involved in children's television and theater, including internships with two Emmy-award winning shows ("Between the Lions" and "Arthur") and working as a puppeteer with the Connecticut Repertory Theatre.
Lindsay Fullerton l‐fullerton@northwestern.edu	Lindsay Fullerton is currently a PhD candidate in the Media Technology and Society program. She holds a BS in Communications and Marketing from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MA from the MTS program at Northwestern. Her research interests include online communities, public opinion and understanding of technology, expertise online and collective knowledge production. Her current work focuses on collective intelligence in online review‐focused communities.
Katie Day Good kdgood@u.northwestern.edu	Katie Day Good is a third-year PhD student specializing in history of technology, cultural studies, and global communication. Her research asks how media and technology have been historically been used to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and international exchange in American culture. She is currently exploring this question through archival research on scrapbooks, travel slideshows, and international pen pal exchanges.
Robin Hoecker robinhoecker@gmail.com	Grounded in professional experience as a photojournalist, Robin Hoecker's research revolves around visual communication. She is particularly interested in how visual rhetoric shapes collective memory and how images are used to portray and resolve conflicts.
Yu-li Patrick Hsieh yulihsieh2012@u.northwestern.edu	Yuli Patrick Hsieh is a doctoral candidate in the Media, Technology & Society program at Northwestern University. He received his MA in sociology from University of Illinois at Chicago. His research interests include the influences of information technology uses on social engagement, as well as their inequality implications for social, psychological, and economic well-being. Patrick has worked on projects exploring how Web-use skills may explain the level of engagement on social network sites and whether there is a systematic relationship between social capital and Web-use skills. He is currently working on his thesis investigating survey instruments that improve the data quality of personal network information collected by the name generator procedure. Prior to his study in the United States, Patrick also received another MA in social informatics from Yuan-Ze University in Taiwan.
Nicole L. Joseph nicolejoseph@u.northwestern.edu	Nicole Joseph is a doctoral student in the Media, Technology and Society program in the School of Communication. Her primary research interests include mass media ethics, journalistic accountability and the evolving role of journalists in a digital, global news environment. Prior to beginning her graduate career, Joseph worked as an Associate Editor at POZ magazine, a publication for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, and Real Health, a black health and wellness magazine. Joseph’s work has been published in Newsweek and Business 2.0 magazines, and she received her B.S. in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.
Brian Keegan bkeegan@northwestern.edu	Brian Keegan analyzes processes of collaboration and coordination in online communities using methods in network analysis. He is interested in developing multilevel models of team assembly and disassembly at the "boundary conditions" of organizing such as breaking news coauthorship on Wikipedia and cheating in massively multiplayer online games. His publications can be found in ACM Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) and IEEE Social Computing. He received B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and STS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006 and a M.A. degree from Northwestern University in 2010.
Su Jung Kim ksio2@northwestern.edu	Su Jung Kim is a doctoral candidate in the Media, Technology and Society program at Northwestern University. Her research interests include social and political effects of media use, media institutions and public policy, and application of network analysis to digital media. She is particularly interested in how media users cope with the abundance of media content in a high-choice media environment, to what extent the fragmentation and polarization of media choice have advanced, and what implications these media use patterns have for society. She is currently writing her dissertation on emerging patterns of cross-platform media consumption and their implications for political learning and participation in South Korea. Prior to her studies at Northwestern, Su Jung worked as an assistant analyst for the Korean Broadcasting Commission (currently Korea Communications Commission), where she participated in a project, "Revision of the Broadcasting Performance Evaluation Policy." She was also a researcher at the Institute of Communication Research, Seoul National University. She holds an M.A. in Communication and a B.A. in Linguistics and Communication, both from Seoul National University.
Erin Flynn Klawitter erinklawitter@u.northwestern.edu	Erin Flynn Klawitter's research interests focus on how and why women use social media to narrate and perform identity.Erin is a member of the Web Use Project in the School of Communication at Northwestern University. She holds a B.A. in the Program of Liberal Studies from the University of Notre Dame and an M.A. in Communication from Saint Louis University.
Elizabeth Lenaghan e-lenaghan@northwestern.edu	Elizabeth Lenaghan's research focuses on the impact new media have on the consumption of old media, and pays particular attention to how new technologies impact the reception and value of printed books. Her dissertation, "Print Matters: Collecting Physical Books in a Digital Age," uses both ethnographic and archival evidence to uncover how the practices and attitudes of book collectors might assist us in understanding the role of the book as a material and cultural object in today's digital society. Tufts University (BA); Columbia University (MA)
Eden Litt eden.litt@u.northwestern.edu	Eden Litt is a Ph.D. student in the Media, Technology, and Society program at Northwestern University. Her research interests include social network sites, digital inequality, social media skill sets, online self-presentation and other areas related to the social and psychological impact of the Internet.
Ericka Menchen-Trevino	Ericka Menchen-Trevino's research lies at the intersection of new media studies and political communication. Her research program focuses on the role of technology in selective exposure to political information. Ericka's dissertation is an in-depth study of Illinois citizens' information environment that explores the role of technology and selective processes during the 2010 midterm election campaign using surveys, in-depth interviews, and software developed for her research to observe participants' web browsing. Ericka also has combined multiple research methods to investigate questions of credibility and trust online, a key component of the selective exposure process, as well as web-based collaboration. Ericka received her M.A. in Communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and her B.S. in Anthropology at Loyola University Chicago.
Eugenia Mitchelstein eugenia.mitchelstein@gmail.com	Eugenia Mitchelstein's research program examines the interaction between new media, political communication and civic engagement. She is currently working on three projects. The first one, her dissertation research, analyzes information and participation before, during, and after the 2011 presidential campaign in Argentina. The second one, joint with Prof. Pablo Boczkowski, analyzes the divergent online news preferences of journalists and consumers in the United States, Latin America and Western Europe. The third one examines online political discussion in two different settings, mainstream online newspapers and blogs. The three projects are linked by a commitment to interdisciplinary research, which draws on scholarship on communication, politics, and science and technology studies, to further understanding of the interactions between structural factors, such as political systems, social conditions and the media environment, and by individuals’ motivation and ability. Eugenia holds a MS from the London School of Economics and obtained her undergraduate degree at Universidad de Buenos Aires. She has coauthored articles in Communication Research, the International Journal of Press/Politics, Journalism: Theory Practice & Criticism, and New Media & Society.
Rachel Plotnick rplotnick@u.northwestern.edu	Rachel Plotnick is a PhD candidate whose work focuses on the historical impact of communication and media technologies. Specifically, Rachel's research agenda examines human-machine relationships, particularly as they pertain to interfaces. She investigates how these surfaces -- from computer screens to keyboards to buttons -- play a role in the technological and social aspects of daily life. Rachel's dissertation asks how one interface, the pushbutton, functions as a social object related to communication and control. It asks: what is a button, and how does it transform in different historical moments, cultural milieus, social spaces?
Aditi Raghavan aditiraghavan@northwestern.edu	Aditi Raghavan is a Doctoral Candidate in the Media, Technology & Society program at Northwestern University. She received her B.E in Computer Science and Engineering from College of Engineering, Guindy in Anna University, India. She also holds an M.A in Communication from Northwestern University. Aditi is interested in the definitions of 'users', history of technology and the study of cities. Her current dissertation research explores user navigation of urban spaces and how technology mediates this process in the city of Chicago. Using archival and ethnographic methods to study how 'users' in a city navigate towards food and restaurants, Aditi's dissertation work lies at the intersection of Urban studies, STS and HCI/CSCW literature.
Lauren Scissors l-scissors@northwestern.edu	Lauren Scissors's primary research interests lie at the intersection between technology-mediated communication and interpersonal relationships. Lauren is interested in topics such as trust formation via computer-mediated communication, interpersonal attraction in technology-mediated settings, and how people manage their close relationships using technologies such as e-mail, instant messaging, and social network sites. Lauren holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Northwestern University and an M.A. from the MTS program. She has also been a research intern at the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the Collaborative User Experience group at IBM Research.
Ignacio Siles isiles@u.northwestern.edu	Ignacio Siles's research is located at the intersection of science and technology studies (STS) and communication and media research. He is currently investigating the historical development of blogs in the United States and France. University of Montreal (MS), University of Costa Rica (BS)
Casey Spruill spruill@u.northwestern.edu	Casey Spruill graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) with a BA in Psychology and an MA in Communication Management from USC's Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. As a PhD Student in the Media, Technology & Society program, she plans to study organizational communication as it pertains to technology usage, knowledge management, collaboration, networks and social capital. With a background as a LEED AP (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional) and an advocate for sustainable practices, Casey is particularly interested in applying her interdisciplinary studies to better understand the environmental movement related to organizations, entrepreneurship and engineering work.
Harsh Taneja harsh.taneja@gmail.com	Harsh Taneja started his PhD in Fall 2009 and is interested in audience behavior and media industries. He is particularly interested in patterns of consumption in new media environments and the implications they have on media companies. A related interest is in the development of audience measurement systems, as it is these systems that enable scholars and practitioners to make sense of media consumption in a given media market. Before joining Northwestern, harsh has worked in advertising and media companies, which includes an audience research role at the Global News Division of the BBC.He obtained his bachelors and masters degree from India, also his country of origin.
Kristin Yates Thomas kristin@u.northwestern.edu	Kristin Yates Thomas is a PhD candidate in the Media, Technology, and Society Program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia, and a Master’s degree from the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. She is currently a Fellow at Northwestern’s Center for Leadership, and a member of the Web Use Project in the School of Communication. Kristin’s research interests focus on how women use media, and media use women, particularly with regard to identity creation and gender performance. Her research explores how one set of women, commonly referred to as ‘mommy bloggers’, use digital media as a way of both performing and commodifying their identities online. Through blogging, these women recreate themselves on the web not just as individuals, or as mothers, but as lifestyle brands, turning personal blogging into a professional endeavor by accepting advertising and corporate sponsorship for their personal web sites.
Jeffrey Treem jtreem@northwestern.edu	Jeffrey Treem's research interests include the relationship between technology use and social perceptions of expertise, primarily in organizational contexts. Specifically, his work explores whether changes in information processing associated with technology result in shifts in social structures and attributions of knowledge. He is experienced in ethnographic analysis and social network methods. His current projects explore communication phenomena in a number of diverse settings including public relations firms, inter-hospital pediatric patient transfers, and global automotive engineering teams. Jeffrey received a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University and a Master’s Degree from the University of Southern California.
Heather C. Young heatheryoung2008@u.northwestern.edu	Heather Young is interested in the impact of the Internet, particularly social media, on the way people talk about and watch television. In her research, she strives for a holistic understanding of the implications of the phenomenon for producers, consumers, and the relationship between the two. In her work, she incorporates insights from a variety of fields, including television studies, audience studies, and computer mediated communication. Heather is interested in combining qualitative and quantitative approaches in order to understand the nature of the impact the Internet has had on the experience of viewing and communicating about television.
Lindsay Young lindsayyoung2013@u.northwestern.edu	Lindsay Young is a 2nd year PhD student in the Media, Technology & Society program. Her research draws on social network perspectives, both theoretical and methodological, to understand the communicative mechanisms behind the generation and exchange of knowledge that occur around policy initiatives, social change campaigns and other forms of community-based collective action. She is particularly interested in evaluating the network structures of both offline and online interorganizational networks that manifest out of public policy campaigns in order to expound on the implications of those structural properties on how outside "publics" come to understand the issue at hand. her work is informed by social network theories, theories of social capital, public goods and collective action theory, and structuration theory. She is currently doing research in the Science of Networks in Communities (SONIC) Research Lab, directed by Dr. Noshir Contractor. Here her she manages the Chicago Climate Action Plan (CCAP) project that involves using social network analysis to map the information and communication networks of several Chicago communities that have been targeted by the city in a city-wide Climate Change campaign.
Brooke Foucault Welles b-foucault@northwestern.edu	Brooke Foucault Welles (BA & MS, Cornell University) is a PhD Candidate in the Media, Technology and Society Program. She works with Professor Noshir Contractor in the SONIC lab, where she studies friendship formation in virtual worlds. Brooke earned her BA in Communication from Cornell University in 2001, and her MS in Communication and Information Science from Cornell University in 2003. She worked for Intel as a Design Researcher from 2003-2006. In addition to online friendship, Brooke's research interests include children and new media, online communities, computer-mediated communication, and gerotechnology.
Ryan Whalen r-whalen@northwestern.edu	Ryan Whalen is a joint degree student pursuing a PhD in Media, Technology, & Society and a JD at Northwestern Law. His interests include telecommunications regulation, political communication, and networked civic discourse. His research includes explorations of how governmental organizations regulate and use media institutions and communications technologies.
Xiao (Angela) Wu xiaowu2012@u.northwestern.edu	Xiao (Angela) Wu is interested in exploring the social and political implications of new media with a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods like network analysis. Her current project is on blog writing and reading practices in China. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Tsinghua University, China, and a Master's Degree (M.Phil.) in Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.