Research in Drexel University's Department of Communication examines how communication, media, and emerging technologies shape culture, organizations, public life, and human relationships. Faculty investigate topics ranging from journalism, public relations, and media institutions to digital platforms, artificial intelligence, identity, and civic participation. Students at all levels work alongside internationally recognized faculty researchers with expertise in the following areas:

Faculty Research Areas

• Digital Media, Platforms and Public Culture
• Public Relations and Strategic Communication
• Journalism, Media Institutions and Democracy
• Discourse, Power and Identity

Digital Media, Platforms and Public Culture

Research in this area focuses on how emerging technologies reshape identity, community, and social interaction. Faculty study social media, AI, gaming, fandom, digital publics, platform infrastructures, and the cultural shifts brought about by the "commodification" of digital spaces.

	Faculty Member	Expertise
	Alexander Jenkins, PhD Associate Teaching Professor 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 162 arj28@drexel.edu	Digital games Video games Emotion Morality Online fan communities Emerging media Convergence
	Hyunmin “Min” Lee, PhD Associate Professor; Director of Undergraduate Programs in Communication; Graduate Faculty Member, Communication, Culture & Media 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 164 hl586@drexel.edu	Public relations Strategic health communication Social media effects
	Wesley Shumar, PhD Professor; Director, Graduate Programs in Communication, Culture & Media; Graduate Faculty Member, Communication, Culture & Media 3201 Arch Street, 372 shumarw@drexel.edu	The Commodification of Culture Consumer Culture and the Production of Value Cultural Change in Higher Education Digital Media and Learning Learning and Communication
	Hilde Van den Bulck Professor; Department Head 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 152 hdv26@drexel.edu	Political economy of media structures Algorithmization, datafication and platformization Trust and digital media Media policies for digitized media ecologies Public (service) media Digital media and popular culture Digital media, popular culture and populism Media and (collective) identities Celebrity culture and industry Celebrity philanthropy and activism Fandom and anti-fandom
	Asta Zelenkauskaite, PhD Professor; Graduate Faculty Member, Communication, Culture & Media 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 149 az358@drexel.edu	Social media research User-generated content analysis Emergent practices online Ideological influence Inauthentic coordinated behaviors online Gender and online interaction Misinformation/disinformation online Mixed methods

Public Relations and Strategic Communication

Research in this area focuses on how social entities — such as corporations, nonprofits, and public organizations — build, maintain, and strengthen relationships with diverse stakeholder groups while cultivating their reputations through strategic communication. Faculty study how different components of communication process (e.g., media channels, messages strategies, and audience characteristics) operate across contexts including crisis communication, corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate social advocacy (CSA), health and science communication, and public diplomacy.

	Faculty Member	Expertise
	Nahyun Kim, PhD Assistant Professor 3201 Arch, Suite 100, Room 171 nk865@drexel.edu	Public Relations Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Advocacy Crisis Communication Emotion in Persuasive Communication
	Hyunmin “Min” Lee, PhD Associate Professor; Director of Undergraduate Programs in Communication; Graduate Faculty Member, Communication, Culture & Media 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 164 hl586@drexel.edu	Public relations Strategic health communication Social media effects
	Alexander Nikolaev, PhD Associate Professor 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 168 agn24@drexel.edu	Public Relations Political Communication Crisis Communication International Communication International Negotiations International News Coverage International Communication Ethics and Morality Political Discourse Analysis

Journalism, Media Institutions and Democracy

Research in this area examines the evolving landscape of news production. It combines historical perspectives with cutting-edge computational methods to understand how journalism functions as a democratic safeguard in the 21st century. Faculty explore journalism history, digital news ecologies, political communication, media governance, representation, and the role of media institutions in public life.

	Faculty Member	Expertise
	Ronald Bishop, PhD Professor 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 148 bishoprc@drexel.edu	Investigative reporting Sports journalism Journalism history Journalism sourcing patterns Textual, narrative, and ideological analysis Cultural history of fame Media portrayals of marginalized groups
	Bernat Ivancsics, PhD Assistant Professor bi84@drexel.edu	Data journalism Computational journalism Communication technology History of media technology
	Alexander Nikolaev, PhD Associate Professor 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 168 agn24@drexel.edu	Public Relations Political Communication Crisis Communication International Communication International Negotiations International News Coverage International Communication Ethics and Morality Political Discourse Analysis
	Hilde Van den Bulck Professor; Department Head 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 152 hdv26@drexel.edu	Political economy of media structures Algorithmization, datafication and platformization Trust and digital media Media policies for digitized media ecologies Public (service) media Digital media and popular culture Digital media, popular culture and populism Media and (collective) identities Celebrity culture and industry Celebrity philanthropy and activism Fandom and anti-fandom
	Asta Zelenkauskaite, PhD Professor; Graduate Faculty Member, Communication, Culture & Media 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 149 az358@drexel.edu	Social media research User-generated content analysis Emergent practices online Ideological influence Inauthentic coordinated behaviors online Gender and online interaction Misinformation/disinformation online Mixed methods

Discourse, Power and Identity

Research in this area focuses on mediated articulations of power and the dynamics of representation, particularly around gender and marginalized populations. Faculty study the construction, contestation and circulation of social meanings. They use a wide range of qualitative and mixed methods approaches to examine mediated cultural representation, including celebrity, fanship, youth and sports culture.

	Faculty Member	Expertise
	Ronald Bishop, PhD Professor 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 148 bishoprc@drexel.edu	Investigative reporting Sports journalism Journalism history Journalism sourcing patterns Textual, narrative, and ideological analysis Cultural history of fame Media portrayals of marginalized groups
	Alexander Jenkins, PhD Associate Teaching Professor 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 162 arj28@drexel.edu	Digital games Video games Emotion Morality Online fan communities Emerging media Convergence
	Rachel Reynolds, PhD Professor; Graduate Faculty Member, Communication, Culture & Media 3201 Arch Street, Suite 340, Room 354 rrr28@drexel.edu	Discourse Analysis and Semiotics, including the Textual, the Visual and Multimodality Violence Against Women in Mass Media Television and Culture Language, Immigration and Youth Development
	Hilde Van den Bulck Professor; Department Head 3201 Arch Street, Suite 100, Room 152 hdv26@drexel.edu	Political economy of media structures Algorithmization, datafication and platformization Trust and digital media Media policies for digitized media ecologies Public (service) media Digital media and popular culture Digital media, popular culture and populism Media and (collective) identities Celebrity culture and industry Celebrity philanthropy and activism Fandom and anti-fandom