Recent Ph.D. Graduates

The Ph.D. in Communication and Information Sciences is a research-intensive program designed to prepare communication scholars for positions of leadership in education, public service, media and other communication-related fields. The three- to four-year, in-residence program features a highly customizable, interdisciplinary curriculum that spans the fields of communication and information sciences. You will work with our award-winning graduate faculty to create a plan of study and advance your knowledge and skills in communication and information sciences.

Recent Ph.D. Graduates

Name Graduation Term Advisor Dissertation Topic Exit Plan
Dr. Megan Whitten Cordingly  2021 Dr. Kenon Brown Effectiveness of Persuasive Attacks on Perceptions of Blame And Offensiveness For A Sexual Assault on A College Campus University of Alabama
College of Continuing Studies IT
Program Manager, Data and Analytics
Dr. Hannah George 2021 Dr. Heather Carmack No Plan B Whatsoever: Student Perception of Vocational Preparedness With Career Ambiguous Majors University of Alabama
Capstone Center for Student Success
Academic Advisor
Dr. Nathan Towery 2021 Dr. Andrew Billings I pledge allegiance”: Examining motivations for sport fanship and fandom in the American South Jackson State University
Department of Mass Communications 
Assistant Professor
Dr. Bumsoo Park 2021 Dr. Kenon Brown
Dr. Andrew Billings
Politics-Free In The Sports World?: An Empirical Examination of the Social and Marketing Impacts of Athlete Activism University of South Florida 
Zimmerman School of Advertising & Mass Communication
Visiting Assistant Professor
Dr. Oluwadamilola O. Opayemi 2021 Dr. Josh Pederson Transition, Relational Turbulence and Relationship-Focused Coping during Pregnancy after Perinatal Loss Utah State University
Department of Communication Studies and Philosophy
Post Doc
Dr. Yiben Liu 2021 Dr. Wilson Lowrey
Dr. Elliot Panek
Engaging Youth in the Hybrid Media Environment: Media Technological Attributes’ Effects on Young People's Internet Political Efficacy during Second Screening Oklahoma State University
School of Media and Strategic Communications 
Assistant Professor
Dr. Samuel Hakim 2021 Dr. Andrew Billings Brushes with Stardom: Interpreting Interpersonal Interactions Between Athletes and Fans Clemson University
Department of Communication
Lecturer
Dr. Xiaoti Fan 2021 Dr. Darrin Griffin In-Group Versis Out-Group: Examining Truth-Bias and Language Use In Inter-Group Communication University of Alabama
Department of Communication
Visiting Assistant Professor
Dr. Sharon Baldinelli 2021 Dr. Kim Bissell Gathering, lathering and rathering through the pandemic University of Florida
MD-Cancer Center for Clinical Trials
Study Coordinator II
Dr. Jose Carlo Garcia de Pano 2021 Dr. Josh Pederson Refocusing the lens of interpersonal persuasion research: message receiver-related variables and compliance resistance in various relational contexts University of the Philippines Diliman
Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts
Assistant Professor
Dr. Orville Bacbac Tatcho 2021 Dr. Jessy Ohl Post-truth and rhetorical citizenship in the Philippines: campaigns against truth and how to fight back University of the Philippines Baguio
Department of Communication
Assistant Professor
Dr. Sarah F. Price 2021 Dr. Sim Butler                    Dr. Jessy Ohl Bodies of knowledge: critical rhetoric in interdisciplinary longitudinal health studies Florida Gulf Coast University
Department of Communication & Philosophy 
Assistant Professor
Dr. Jeyoung Oh 2021 Dr. Eyun-Jung Ki Can we build a relationship with artificial intelligence (AI)?: the influence of AI on organization-public relationships University of Michigan - Flint
Department of Communication 
Assistant Professor
Dr. Sitong Guo 2021 Dr. Andrew Billings Does locality predict sport fandom?: an examination of local, non-local, and distant nba fans in the United States and China University of Michigan
Department of Communication and Media
Lecturer
Dr. Danielle F. Deavours 2021 Dr. Wilson Lowrey Not just what you say, but how you say it: neutrality of nonverbal behavior of journalists during crisis coverage University of Montevallo
Department of Communication
Assistant Professor
Dr. Josie Burks 2020 Dr. Karla Gower Entrepreneurship is a pitch: determining successful persuasive processes utilized during entrepreneurial venture pitches University of Mississippi
School of Business Administration 
Instructional Assistant Professor
Dr. Stephen Rush 2020 Dr. Kenon Brown Blackballed: An empirical examination of the impact of race, gender, and identity on the sports image repair process Belmont University
Department of Creative & Entertainment Industries 
Assistant Professor
Dr. Jeffery Hirschy 2020 Dr. Robert Riter Civil Rights Collecting Institutions and the Facilitation of Public Engagement in the American South University of Southern Mississippi
School of Library and Information Science
Assistant Professor
Dr. Eric Cooks 2020 Dr. Kim Bissell Hostile Media Perception in the Age of Social Media: The Role of Social Identity University of Florida
College of Journalism and Communications - STEM Translational Communication Center
Postdoctoral Associate
Dr. James C. Abdallah 2020 Dr. Andrew Billings Saturday versus Sunday: differences in how fanship and fandom is performed through social media for professional and college football fans Coastal Carolina University
Department of Communication, Media and Culture
Assistant Professor