Doctoral Students

All
Yasuhito Abe
Yasuhito Abe
yasuhita [at] usc [dot] edu

Yasuhito Abe received his B.A. and M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication Studies from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan where he authored several theses on the political role of mass medi...

Alexandrina  Agloro
Alexandrina Agloro
agloro [at] usc [dot] edu

Alexandrina graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Public and Private Sector Organizations, writing her capstone on organizational comparisons between publicly traded and privately held...

Styles Akira
Styles Akira
akira [at] usc [dot] edu

Stylés Akira received his B.A. from Pace University, Manhattan in Applied Psychology & Human Relations. He earned his M.A. in Liberal Studies with a concentratio...

Laura Alberti
Laura Alberti
lalberti [at] usc [dot] edu
Laura Alberti graduated from the University of Bologna with a B.A. in Communication and earned her Summa Cum Laude M.A. in Institutional, Social and Political Communication from the University of Bolo...
Komathi Ale
Komathi Ale
komathia [at] usc [dot] edu

Komathi Ale received both her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Communication Studies from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. M...

Meryl  Alper
Meryl Alper
malper [at] usc [dot] edu

Meryl Alper graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University in 2005, double majoring in Communication Studies and History. She also holds a certificate in Early Childhood Education from ...

Zheng An
Zheng An
zan [at] usc [dot] edu

Zheng An graduated from Tsinghua University with a BA in Journalism in 2006. She received her MA in Communication from the University of New Mexico in 2008 (thesis on Perceptions of Appropriate...

Janeane  Anderson
Janeane Anderson
jnanders [at] usc [dot] edu

Janeane Anderson is a second-year PhD student studying health communications, specifically HIV/AIDS prevention interventions in the African-American community. Prior to coming to Annenberg, Jan...

Inna Arzumanova
Inna Arzumanova
iarzuman [at] usc [dot] edu

Inna Arzumanova is a fifth-year PhD student in Communication and Annenberg Fellow. Prior to joining the doctoral program at USC, she completed her B.A. in Communication and Writing at the Unive...

Shoko Barnes
Shoko Barnes
shbarnes [at] usc [dot] edu
Shoko received her B.A. in Communication Studies from Ibaraki University in Japan and her M.A. in Communication Studies with a research assistantship from University of Northern Iowa. Her professional...
Amanda Beacom
Amanda Beacom
abeacom [at] usc [dot] edu

Amanda’s research interests focus on organizational and health communication. Amanda is interested in how information, knowledge, and best practices are shared and disseminated in organizations...

Emma  Bloomfield
Emma Bloomfield
ebloomfi [at] usc [dot] edu

Emma Bloomfield graduated from Northeastern University Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Communication Studies with a concentration in Public Advocacy and Rhetoric with minors in Spanish and Interna...

Beth Boser
Beth Boser
boser [at] usc [dot] edu

Beth Boser is a Doctoral Student and Walter Fisher Scholar at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. Her research interests include social change rhetoric, feminist theory and...

Garrett Broad
Garrett Broad
gbroad [at] usc [dot] edu

Garrett Broad's research investigates the role of media and communication in the promotion of healthy communities, with a particular focus on issues of environmental sustainability, community f...

Evan Brody
Evan Brody
ebrody [at] usc [dot] edu

Evan Brody holds a B.S. with honors from Northwestern University’s Department of Communication and an M.A. in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. His work focuses on how ...

Melissa Brough
Melissa Brough
mbrough [at] usc [dot] edu
Melissa Brough is a Doctoral Candidate at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California, and a 2010-2011 Fulbright grantee to ...
Jamaica Brown
Jamaica Brown
jamaicab [at] usc [dot] edu
Jamaica Brown is a graduate of Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Her undergraduate Sociology thesis, entitled "Remember to Eat and Sleep - Online Games, Offline Lives," explored community and identity...
Omri Ceren
Omri Ceren
ceren [at] usc [dot] edu

Omri Ceren is a PhD Candidate at Annenberg. His dissertation focuses on the persuasive role that identification plays in conspiracy theorizing, examined in rhetorical, psychoanalytic, and argum...

Dayna Chatman
Dayna Chatman
dchatman [at] usc [dot] edu

Dayna graduated cum laude in 2005 with a B.A. in Communication from Saint Mary's College of California. She attended the University of Illinois at Chicago for a M.A. in Communication, with a co...

Joyee Chatterjee
Joyee Chatterjee
jchatter [at] usc [dot] edu

Joyee S. Chatterjee is a PhD candidate at University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. Her research interest is in media, popular culture and social ...

Nien Tsu (Nancy) Chen
Nien Tsu (Nancy) Chen
nientsuc [at] usc [dot] edu
Nancy Chen has an honours degree in Media and Communications from the University of Melbourne and a master degree in Communication from the University of Southern California. Prior to joining the doct...
Joshua Clark
Joshua Clark
joshuaac [at] usc [dot] edu
Joshua Clark graduated with honors from Queen's University at Kingston with a B.A in Political Studies. He earned an M.A. at the University of British Columbia in the same field. His master's thesis e...
Tisha  Dejmanee
Tisha Dejmanee
dejmanee [at] usc [dot] edu

Tisha Dejmanee has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales, where she graduated with First Class Honors and the Univ...

Fan Dong
Fan Dong
fandong [at] usc [dot] edu

Fan Dong is a Ph.D. candiate and Wallis Anneberg Chair Fellow. Her research interest includes new media technology and social consequences, digital creativity and innovation industry, social ne...

Kevin Driscoll
Kevin Driscoll
kedrisco [at] usc [dot] edu

Kevin Driscoll is a PhD student in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at University of Southern California. His recent research addresses the historicization of internet tech...

Sandra Evans
Sandra Evans
bangasse [at] usc [dot] edu

Sandra K. Evans graduated from Northwestern University with a double-major in Radio, Television and Film, and International Studies. She received an MSc in Global Media and Communications at th...

Brittany A. Farr
Brittany A. Farr
farrb [at] usc [dot] edu

Brittany Farr received her A.B. from Harvard College in May 2010. As a Folklore and Mythology concentrator at Harvard, Brittany's special field focused on horror in folklore and literature, par...

Laurel Felt
Laurel Felt
felt [at] usc [dot] edu

Laurel J. Felt is a doctoral student of communication at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, where she has worked with the Annenberg Sce...

Ryan Gillespie
Ryan Gillespie
rgillesp [at] usc [dot] edu
Ryan Gillespie is a PhD Candidate and Assistant Lecturer in the Annenberg School. His broad area of study is morality, public culture/public sphere studies and informal logic/argument, with underlying...
Carmen Gonzalez
Carmen Gonzalez
cagonzal [at] usc [dot] edu

Carmen Gonzalez is an ABD doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. Carmen graduated from USC with a B. A. in Print Journalism, Chicano Studies and a minor in...

Amy Granados
Amy Granados
agranado [at] usc [dot] edu

In May 2005, Amy received a B.A. in Communication and Psychology from USC and immediately began work as a project manager at Annenberg overseeing content studies designed to assess gender portr...

Nikita  Hamilton
Nikita Hamilton
nikitaha [at] usc [dot] edu

Nikita received her B.A. with honors in Communication and Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She then worked as the first Ase Futures Fellow for the non-profit, Afro-centered, Satu...

Jennifer Lee Heckman
Jennifer Lee Heckman
jheckman [at] usc [dot] edu

Jennifer has studied communication throughout her scholarly career earning a B.A. from the University of San Diego as well as a M.A. from the Annenberg Communication Management Program. Upon gr...

Martin Hilbert
Martin Hilbert
mhilbert [at] usc [dot] edu
Martin pursues a multidisciplinary approach to the role of information, communication and knowledge in society. He is particularly interested in understanding the implications of and requisites for th...
Renyi Hong
Renyi Hong
renyihon [at] usc [edu]

Renyi Hong received his B.A and M.A. in Communication Studies from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore. For his Master’s thesis titled “Game Modding and Labour: The Influence of W...

Jinghui (Jove) Hou
Jinghui (Jove) Hou
jinghuih [at] usc [dot] edu

Jinghui "Jove" Hou received her B.S. in Statistics from Fudan University and her M.A. degree in Media Studies from Syracuse University. Jove's research focuses on so...

Chih-Wei (Selene) Hu
Chih-Wei (Selene) Hu
huchihwe [at] usc [dot] edu

Selene Hu received her B.A. with a major in Library and Information Science and a minor in Economics at National Taiwan University. She then earned her M.A. in Journalism at National Taiwan Uni...

Jin Huang
Jin Huang
huangjin [at] usc [dot] edu

Jin Huang graduated from Huazhong University of Science & Technology with a double degree in Journalism and Marketing. As a junior, she studied abroad at National University of Singapore, d...

David Jeong
David Jeong
davidjeo [at] usc [dot] edu
David Jeong is a doctoral candidate at the Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism.  His research interests are in studying the relationship between perceptual/attentional systems and media...
Rebecca (Becca) Johnson
Rebecca (Becca) Johnson
rljohnso [at] usc [dot] edu

Rebecca Johnson graduated cum laude from the USC Annenberg School in May 2011 with a B.A. in Communication (Entertainment and Society) and a double minor in Music Recording and Advertising. Her...

Adam Kahn
Adam Kahn
adamkahn [at] usc [dot] edu

Adam S. Kahn is a doctoral student in communication at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. He holds a B.S. in computer science, a B.A. in a history, and an M.A. in media st...

Erin M. Kamler
Erin M. Kamler
kamler [at] usc [dot] edu
A second-year doctoral student at the Annenberg School, Erin Kamler’s research agenda is two-fold: A former A.F.S. exchange student and conversational Thai language speaker, Erin studies communication...
Shawna Kelly
Shawna Kelly
shawnake [at] usc [dot] edu

Shawna’s research interests are in new technologies, communication, and culture, with a focus on digital games. Some of her previous projects include: entry into virtual worlds and games, the m...

Young Ji Kim
Young Ji Kim
youngji [at] usc [dot] edu

Young Ji received her BA from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea in mass communication. She did her MA studies in Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University. Prior to h...

Charlotte Lapsansky
Charlotte Lapsansky
lapsansk [at] usc [dot] edu
Charlotte Lapsansky is a PhD Candidate and American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellow at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. Charlotte ha...
Alex Leavitt
Alex Leavitt
aleavitt [at] usc [dot] edu

Alex Leavitt received a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Japanese from Boston University in 2009. After graduating, he joined the Comparative Media Studies department at MIT to researc...

Joel M. Lemuel
Joel M. Lemuel
lemuel [at] usc [dot] edu

Joel received his BA in political science from Georgia State University in 2008. He went on to receive an MA in communications with an emphasis in rhetorical studies, also from Georgia State Un...

Zhan Li
Zhan Li
zhanli [at] usc [dot] edu
Zhan Li holds a B.A. in Social & Political Sciences and a M.Phil. in Social Anthropology from Cambridge University (Trinity) as well as a S.M. in Comparative Media Studies from MIT. For his Ph.D. ...
Ioana Literat
Ioana Literat
iliterat [at] usc [dot] edu
A proud Romanian from the city of Timisoara, Ioana graduated summa cum laudae from Middlbury College, with Highest Honors in Film and Media Culture. She was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic s...
Jingfang Liu
Jingfang Liu
jingfanl [at] usc [dot] edu

Jingfang Liu is a Ph.D candidate at Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California. Her broad research interest centers around Information and Communication Technology (I...

Wenlin  Liu
Wenlin Liu
wenlinli [at] usc [dot] edu

Wenlin Liu received her B.A. in Journalism from Peking University, China and M.A. in Communication at the University of Washington, Seattle. Prior to her graduate study, Wenlin interned at the ...

Lori Kido Lopez
Lori Kido Lopez
loril [at] usc [dot] edu

Lori received her B.A. in Media Studies and Asian Studies at Pomona College. During her time at Pomona she wrote two theses -- one on representations of Asian Americ...

Alexandra (Melissa) Loudon
Alexandra (Melissa) Loudon
loudon [at] usc [dot] edu

Melissa Loudon began her professional career as a software developer for Cell-Life, a South African non-profit, developing systems for HIV management. She has an undergraduate degree in Geomati...

Li Lu
Li Lu
llu2 [at] usc [dot] edu

Li Lu received her B.A. from Peking University with double majors in Publishing Science and World History. She received her M.S. from Communication Department, Cornell University in 2009. Prior...

Jules Mailland
Jules Mailland
mailland [at] usc [dot] edu

Jules Mailland graduated from the University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas) with an LL.B and a M.C.J.  There, he focused on international law and comparative constitutional law.  He also received...

Drew Margolin
Drew Margolin
dmargoli [at] usc [dot] edu

Drew is a PhD Candidate at Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California. Drew’s research focuses on the understanding the relationship between social networks, epistemo...

Biswagit (Theo) Mazumdar
Biswagit (Theo) Mazumdar
bmazumda [at] usc [dot] edu

Theo Mazumdar holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and master’s degrees from Columbia University and Goldsmiths College, University of London. His research interests lie chiefly ...

William McClain
William McClain
wmcclain [at] usc [dot] edu

William McClain graduated summa cum laude from the University of Kansas with a major in Film Studies and a minor in English Literature. For his honors thesis, he examined the relationship betwe...

Ritesh Mehta
Ritesh Mehta
riteshm [at] usc [dot] edu

Emerging from and running across Ritesh’s academic travails in cognitive science at UC-San Diego and philosophy (in which he obtained his Masters) at the University of Missouri-St Louis, has be...

Aalok Mehta
Aalok Mehta
aalokmeh [at] usc [dot] edu

Aalok Mehta received his B.A. with honors in biochemistry, biology, and philosophy from Rice University. He then worked as a science writer and editor in Washington, D.C, for the American Chemi...

Jingbo Meng
Jingbo Meng
jingbome [at] usc [dot] edu

Jingbo Meng got her Bachelor degree from Peking University, Master degree from The Ohio State University, and is currently a doctoral student at Annenberg School. Her research revolves around s...

Yujung Nam
Yujung Nam
yujungna [at] usc [dot] edu
Yujung Nam is a PhD candidate and an Annenberg Fellow at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, USC. She studies the area of health communication with a focus on social-psychological issue...
Russell Newman
Russell Newman
rnewman [at] usc [dot] edu
Previous to his arrival at USC, Russell Newman served as the research director for the national nonprofit advocacy group Free Press. There, he focused on media and telecommunications policy, tracking ...
Allison Noyes
Allison Noyes
anoyes [at] usc [dot] edu

Allison studies strategic organizational communication. She's interested in how organizations navigate the new media and information environment given the central role that communication plays ...

Nina O'Brien
Nina O'Brien
nobrien [at] usc [dot] edu

Nina O’Brien graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelors in Communications and Textual Studies, and received her Masters Degree in Media Ecology from New York University’s Department of...

Katherine Ognyanova
Katherine Ognyanova
ognyanova [at] usc [dot] edu

Katherine Ognyanova does research with a broad focus on transformations of the media system and social aspects of technology. Her doctoral thesis explores applicatio...

Poong Oh
Poong Oh
poongoh [at] usc [dot] edu

Poong Oh received his B.A. and M.A. in mass communication from Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea; minor in philosophy) and his M.S. in journalism & mass communication from Iowa State Universi...

Katrina L. Pariera
Katrina L. Pariera
pariera [at] usc [dot] edu

Katrina Pariera received her Master of Arts in Communication, Culture and Technology from Georgetown University in 2009, and her B.A. from Portland State University in Applied Linguistics, wher...

Mina Park
Mina Park
minapark [at] usc [dot] edu

Mina Park graduated Summa Cum Laude from Yonsei University with a B.A. in Mass Communication and a minor in Psychology. She then received an M.A. in Communication from Yonsei University, where ...

Michael Park
Michael Park
parkmk [at] usc [dot] edu

Michael Park graduated from the USC’s Annenberg School of Communication and the School of Cinematic Arts, double-majoring in Communication and Cinema-Television. During his time at USC, Michael...

Steven Rafferty
Steven Rafferty
sfraffer [at] usc [dot] edu

Steven’s research interests focus on the theory and practice of public argumentation and deliberation in contemporary communicative ecologies, particularly as they intersect with questions of i...

Flemming  Rhode
Flemming Rhode
rhode [at] usc [dot] edu

Flemming Schneider Rhode received a B.A. cum laude from the University of Richmond with majors in Rhetoric & Communication Studies, Economics, Political Science, and International Studies. ...

Stephen Robertson

Before coming to USC, Steve received an MA from CSU-Fullerton, studying rhetorical criticism of popular culture. His current research focuses on rhetoric of scientific controversies, particular...

Scott Sanders
Scott Sanders
sandersw [at] usc [dot] edu

Scott Sanders studies the development of trust, the evaluation and management of information, and the effect of inauthentic communication within online brand communities. Specifically, he is in...

Angeline (LeeAnn) Sangalang
Angeline (LeeAnn) Sangalang
sangalan [at] usc [dot] edu

Angeline (Lee Ann) Sangalang examines cognitive and affective processes underlying media effects. She is interested in the role that emotion plays when interpreting health information from medi...

Andrew Schrock
Andrew Schrock
aschrock [at] usc [dot] edu
Andrew Schrock is a Ph.D. student at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California. His research focuses on social identity, role negotiation, and dy...
Janel Schuh
Janel Schuh
schuh [at] usc [dot] edu

A Provost's Fellow and Doctoral Candidate at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, Janel Schuh earned a master’s degree on a Park Fellowship at the School ...

Jaclyn Selby
Jaclyn Selby
jselby [at] usc [dot] edu

Jaclyn Selby conducts research at the intersection of content industry economics, media and technology policy, and public diplomacy. How can understanding the industrial organization of media i...

Marcus  Shepard
Marcus Shepard
mcshepar [at] usc [dot] edu

Marcus Shepard received his B.A. in Communication Studies from Northwestern University with a specialization in Rhetoric, Media, and Public Culture. In addition to his B.A. in Communication, Sh...

Jieun Shin
Jieun Shin
jieunshi [at] usc [dot] edu

Jieun Shin graduated from Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, with a BA in Mass Communication and Journalism. In 2010, she received her Master of Communication Management from the Universit...

Francesca Smith
Francesca Smith
francess [at] usc [dot] edu

Francesca Smith received an honors BA degree in linguistics from Stanford University, studying critical discourse analysis and sociolinguistics in the context of women's magazines and messages ...

Susan Smith Bautista
Susan Smith Bautista
susanesm [at] usc [dot] edu

Susana Smith Bautista is a Ph.D. candidate and Provost Fellow at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, where she ...

Minhee Son
Minhee Son
minheeso [at] usc [dot] edu

Minhee Son graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with a BA in communication. In 2009, she received a MA in visual communication from Yonsei University (Seoul, Kor...

Myoung-Sun (Kelly) Song
Myoung-Sun (Kelly) Song
myoungss [at] usc [dot] edu

Myoung-Sun (Kelly) Song graduated magna cum laude from Ewha Womans University in South Korea with a BA in English Language and Literature. For her senior thesis, she explored the literary techn...

Benjamin Stokes
Benjamin Stokes
bstokes [at] usc [dot] edu

Benjamin Stokes investigates how digital media foster civic engagement, informal learning, and activism. He is currently studying how mobile media and videogames can advance social justice by b...

L. Paul Strait
L. Paul Strait
strait [at] usc [dot] edu

Paul's interests include applied (informal) epistemology, the Austrian School of economics, the Frankfurt School (especially the work of Jürgen Habermas), human rights, and psychiatry.  He is c...

Deja (Lana) Swartz
Deja (Lana) Swartz
dswartz [at] usc [dot] edu

Most of Lana's work is on money (and other regimes of value) as techno-social practice. At Annenberg, she has worked on the CivicPaths research collaborative and the new Media, Economics, and E...

Adam Clinton Symonds
Adam Clinton Symonds
symonds [at] usc [dot] edu

Adam is the Director of Forensics at Arizona State University. His research interests include contemporary and classical rhetoric, political communication, new media communication studies, and ...

Chris Tokuhama
Chris Tokuhama
tokuhama [at] usc [dot] edu

After graduating from the University of Southern California with B.A. in Biological Sciences, Chris began working for his alma mater's Office of Undergraduate Admission as an Assistant Director...

Rhea Vichot
Rhea Vichot
vichot [at] usc [dot] edu

Rhea Vichot graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Comparative Media Studies in 2004. She attended New York University and attained a Masters in Cinema Studies as well as a...

Neta Kligler Vilenchik
Neta Kligler Vilenchik
kliglerv [at] usc [dot] edu

Neta graduated Summa Cum Laude from Tel Aviv University, studying communication and political science, and received her MA in communication from the University of Haifa in 2009. In her Master’s...

George Villanueva
George Villanueva
govillan [at] usc [dot] edu

George Villanueva pursues questions about the changing global context of community, civil society, democracy, and the city. His dissertation will study issues of sustainable urban development a...

Rong Wang
Rong Wang
rongw [at] usc [dot] edu

Rong Wang received her B.A. with honors from School of Journalism and Communication, Nanjing University (P.R. China), and her M.A. in Communications and New Media at the Faculty of Arts and Soc...

Cynthia Wang
Cynthia Wang
wangcynt [at] usc [dot] edu

Cynthia received her B.S. from Northwestern University, majoring in Radio/TV/Film and Biological Sciences, and minoring in Asian American Studies. Upon graduating, and discovering that trying t...

Elisheva Weiss
Elisheva Weiss
weisse [at] usc [dot] edu

Elisheva Weiss graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in political science in May 2007. At Columbia, she did research on Howell Raines’ short tenure as executive editor of The New York ...

Diana Winkelman
Diana Winkelman
winkelma [at] usc [dot] edu

Diana is a doctoral student of rhetoric and political communication at USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Her research interests include global controversies in internatio...

Li (Leo) Xiong
Li (Leo) Xiong
lixiong [at] usc [dot] edu

Li (Leo) Xiong holds a B.A. in English from Beijing Foreign Studies University, China and an MS in Cultural Studies from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2007, he transferred from the ...

Lin Zhang
Lin Zhang
zhan370 [at] usc [dot] edu

Lin Zhang received her B.A. in English Literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University. She spent her undergraduate life reading novels (completed a thesis on female Asian American writers) ...

Nan Zhao
Nan Zhao
nzhao [at] usc [dot] edu

Nan studies health communication at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. Being a firm believer of human agency and sustainable social chang...

Mei (Kitty) Zhou
Mei (Kitty) Zhou
meizhou [at] dslextreme [dot] com

Mei Zhou graduated from Peking University with a B.A. in English Language and Literature, and got her M.A. in Communication from the USC Annenberg School for Communication. Her research interes...