About

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My work examines how social media influences engagement with the news, political participation, and institutional trust.

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My research interests include news innovation, audience fragmentation, and public knowledge about important issues like climate change and COVID-19. My methodological expertise includes international surveys, automated content analysis, and working with social media datasets. I am also a research affiliate at the University of Alabama, University of Michigan, and New Mexico State University. 

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I teach undergraduate courses in media history and emerging professional practices, like data visualization and streaming media. In the graduate school, I teach research methods and theory. My teaching is informed by the idea that education should develop citizenship through media literacy. It would also be nice if students felt better prepared for jobs in the media industry.

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I previously worked as a research assistant for the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at UT Austin, where I studied patterns of political engagement among the state's  Hispanic and Mexican-American populations. I completed a PhD in Journalism and Communication Sciences at the University of Vienna. Before life in academia, I worked as a mechanic specializing in Mercedes-Benz. My family runs the shop in Reno.

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I recently received the The Provost's Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity.