Editing People (section)

== Core Students ==

<div style="clear:both;">

=== Kevin Ackermann (Northwestern University) ===
Hiiii! I'm Kevin. (∩｀-´)⊃━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

I'm a fourth year PhD Student in the Media, Technology and Society program at Northwestern University. I'm interested in studying impacts of commercialization on digital community space, historicizing platform governance conversations, and thinking about the political (and emotional) ramifications of quantification. In the past, my attempts to study these topics have largely revolved around studying dead computer networks of the 80s and 90s. Said another way, I'm interested in how communities form and falter online, and what it's like to be a part of one. 

I've spent years of my pre-PhD life honing archival methodology skills, so I'm a sucker for qualitative storytelling, but I hope to try out myriad methods in my graduate studies. There are so many ways to know things!

</div>

<div style="clear:both;">

=== Thatiany Andrade Nunes (Northwestern University) ===

[[File:Youngwol y park.png|thumb|200px|Thaty in Youngwol Y Park (젊은달와이파크), South Korea.]]

:'''Pronouns:''' she/her

Hi! I’m Thaty (pronounced like Tatchi), a first-year PhD student in the Media, Technology, and Society program at Northwestern University, advised by Professor Aaron Shaw. My interest in studying online communities began while working at game companies in South Korea. In addition to creating social media videos, I was responsible for organizing engaging community events and managing online communities. I was fascinated by how quickly these communities could self-organize, whether by creating guides, wikis, or establishing their own rules and moderation systems!

I have too many interests and hope to narrow it down better on my PhD! I want to investigate how communication and information technologies influence social outcomes, how online communities influence participants, what kind of participants (lurkers or active) join them, and why and how they contribute. I am also interested in the different forms of community engagement such as collaboration, political mobilization, and organization.

Fun facts: I’m from Brazil, lived in South Korea for seven years, and I speak Portuguese, English, Korean, and some Spanish! In my free time, I enjoy playing story-driven video games, watching horror movies/series, and spending time with friends!

</div>

<div style="clear:both;">


=== Loizos Bitsikokos (Purdue University) ===

:'''Pronouns:''' he/him/his

[[File:Loizos_professional_pic.JPG|thumb|200px|Loizos pretending to be a Walrus on a Greek island (The most professional photo of Loizos to date; you should see the rest).]]

Hello to those reading this bio, Loizos here. I am a PhD student at Purdue University's Brian Lamb School of Communication. My academic journey began with degrees in physics and applied mathematics from the National Technical University of Athens (N.T.U.A.), followed by an MA in computational social science from the University of Chicago, focusing on sociology.

My research lies at the intersection of computational social science, online platforms, and organizations. I am particularly interested in the intricate relationship between algorithms and society. I am also interested in tensions between structure and agency within online platforms, examining how platforms influence identity formation and whether users can resist institutionally ingrained biases. My work also investigates the conceptualization of desire within platform infrastructures.  The [https://www.onassis.org/ Onassis Foundation] Scholarship program supports my research.

I remember what it was like before academia when I had what people call "free time". Back then, I was preoccupied with (in random order): having existential dread, enjoying instant coffee (no milk, no sugar), writing poems, making and collecting zines, watching cinema, taking photographs, walking in nature, and occasionally playing the saxophone (poorly). I still do at least one of them (guess which).

</div>

<div style="clear:both;">

=== Srishti Chatterjee (Northwestern University) ===

I'm a 2nd year PhD student in Rhetoric, Media and Publics, at the Department of Communications at Northwestern University, co-advised by Robert Hariman and Aaron Shaw. My research interests are in how marginalized people form networks of co-education, resistance, and resilience in conditions of tech emergence and acceleration. Broadly in the field of rhetoric of science and technology, I research how science interacts with the capacities of social movements, and provocations to credibility and expertise posed by such socio-technical interactions. 

Lately, I've been immersed in researching how large-scale computational systems of data collection in India pose ontological mismatches to the diverse lives, identities, and philosophies of citizens. I study the Aadhaar & Bhu-Aadhaar systems as biometric authority, and people's adoptions (and rejection) of them. 

Before starting graduate school, I earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Sociology and Communications from the University of Melbourne. My research looked at a critical theory of how political organizers in Australian Unions use digital media platforms for organizers, and interact with surveillant platform logics. I was also a Policy Advisor to the Australian Greens in the Senate, managing LGBTQ+, Immigration, and Technology portfolios. 

I read a lot of media philosophy, and like cooking large batches of curries and soups. Sometimes, I paint. 

<div style="clear:both;">


=== Hsuen-Chi (Hazel) Chiu (Purdue University) ===
[[File:Hazel games.JPG|thumb|200px|Hazel in May 2022]]

Hello! I am a First year PhD student in the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University and I am on Media, Technology and Society track. I am advised by Dr. Jeremy Foote. I study computer-mediated communication, especially using quantitative and computational approaches. I am interested in seeing how people using different affordances on social media to manage their privacy, identity and self-disclosure across platforms. I am also interested in looking at how misinformation spreads on social media.

Before coming to Purdue, I earned my MS degree in Media Science focusing on Marketing Communication Research at Boston University.

Outside research, I like baseball games, foods, traveling and dogs.

<div style="clear:both;">
=== Carl Colglazier (Northwestern University) ===

{{User:Carl/bio}}
</div>

<div style="clear:both;">
=== Madelyn (Maddie) Douglas (University of Washington) ===
[[File:IMG 5051.jpg|thumb|200px|Pure joy after eating an uncrustable and gushers at the top of Kendall Katwalk (on the PCT in Washington).]]
:'''Pronouns:''' she/her/hers

Hi! I am a second-year MA/PhD student in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington co-advised by Benjamin Mako Hill and Adrienne Russell. My research interests focus on the rhetoric of science and technology and the online public sphere—especially the co-optation of tech ethics and the narratives justifying technology development. Lately, I’ve been researching the ways that publics adopt and/or reject the anthropomorphization of different LLM chatbots, and am also investigating the uses and abuses of transparency in Washington state public records. Before joining UW, I worked as a software engineer and a technical writer (during the release of ChatGPT!), and these experiences helped shape my research interests. In my free time, I love to spend time outside (especially hiking, skiing, and swimming in alpine lakes), jamming/songwriting, and watching horror movies.

<div style="clear:both;">
=== Yibin Fan (University of Washington) ===
[[File:Yibin_profile.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Yibin on the Seattle lightrail :)]]

Hello! I am Yibin, a PhD candidate in Communication at University of Washington. I study online communities with a lens of political and public communication, to investigate what political implications that digital media can bring to the general public and society. I primarily use computational and quantitative social scientific methods, while quite open and would like to try mixed-methods design and/or qualitative research like ethnography and interviews. When I am free, I am into running, watching films, and reading political theory and sociology.


</div>

<div style="clear:both;">

=== Eric Fassbender (Northwestern University) ===
[[File:Ericcdsc.jpg|200px|thumb|A rare photo of Eric both in a suit and outside]]

Hi! I'm Eric Fassbender, I am a first year PhD student in the Media Technology and Society program at Northwestern University. I am interested in studying technology adoption as an expression of resistance and protest. I am currently researching the ways that people form decisions to leave online groups around issues of surveillance and political alignment. You can learn more about me on my website [https://efassben.com here] or on mastodon [https://sciences.social/@Fassbender here]. 

Prior to joining the CDSC, I focused on collective action and social movements at Arizona State University, earning a BA and MA in Political Science, and MS in Organizational Leadership. In my past work I focused on qualitative methods, but the quantity of textual data available has led me to engaging more in computational methods for text analysis. Outside of work I love reading sci-fi, all things cyberpunk, and hiking to improve my landscape photography. 
</div>

<div style="clear:both;">

=== Matt Gaughan (Northwestern University) ===

:'''Pronouns:''' he/him/his

Howdy! I am a third year PhD student in the Technology and Social Behavior program at Northwestern University. My research focuses on how FLOSS projects manage the processes that they use to build software, how that governance shapes their organization, and how contributors talk to each other within those hierarchies. I try to use a range of computational methods to try to answer these questions. I love creating data; I am trying to get better at doing so more thoughtfully. 

In my free time, I enjoy running, reading books, and watching movies. In theory, I maintain a [https://mgaughan.net/ webpage] and a [https://hci.social/@mgone mastodon account]. 
</div>

<div style="clear:both;">

=== Jonghyun Jee (Northwestern University) ===
[[File:20231028-780e_3x4-min.jpg|thumb|200px|Jonghyun about to utter something he barely understands.]]

Hello! I'm Jonghyun (pronounced Jong-H-<i>yuh</i>-n, not Hyoon), a first-year PhD student in the Media, Technology, and Society program at Northwestern University. I study how online communities create and enforce their rules. My research has taken me through a range of platforms, from established ones like Wikipedia, YouTube, and Discord to decentralized networks such as Bluesky and Mastodon. Lately, I’ve been exploring how to use LLMs to simulate these social environments at scale. I’m driven by the belief that critiques of technology (even dystopian ones) are less calls for its undoing than invitations to reimagine it.

Before joining the CDSC, I majored in Interactive Media Arts from NYU Shanghai with a minor in Philosophy. I exhibited my work as a media artist in both solo and group shows before pivoting to academia. I then completed my MS at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology) as part of the inaugural cohort in their Graduate School of Metaverse. There, I built my computational toolkit and found my passion for this field. When I procrastinate, I practice zen meditation and write short film synopses.
</div>

<div style="clear:both;">



=== Dyuti Jha (Purdue university) ===
[[File:DS(1).png|thumb|200px|Dyuti when she used to have time to go out.]]

Hi there! I am a second year PhD student at the Lamb School at Purdue. Dr Jeremy Foote is my advisor. My interests sit at the intersection of sociology, political science, and communication. My work has largely been qualitative in the past but I currently use a mix of experiments and interviews using computational methods to study organization, aggression, and violence (mostly of political nature) in online communities. I worked in the Indian nonprofit sector for five years before deciding to come back to academia. As I find my way around what other things interest me, you will see them here!

Outside of work, I love playing my ukulele and singing, watching and analyzing trashy films from all over the world, and cooking.
You can find more on [https://sites.google.com/view/dyutijha my website].
</div>

<div style="clear:both;">
=== Jianghui Li (University of Texas at Austin) ===

[[File:jianghuiriverfront.jpg|thumb|200px|Jianghui pictured after landing a big ole freshwater drum along the Oneida River at Riverfront Park in Brewerton, New York.]]

Hey! I am a first-year PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin's School of Information, advised by Dr. Nathan TeBlunthuis. I am interested in researching belief dynamics, collective behavior, and sustainability in sociotechnical systems through the lens of complex adaptive systems.

Before studying at UT Austin, I earned my bachelor's and master's degrees at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies, and I miss the cool Syracuse weather.

Outside of research, I enjoy fishing, learning about fish, and sometimes thinking about the similarities between ecological systems and human networks.

</div>

<div style="clear:both;">
=== Yiwei Wu (University of Texas at Austin) ===
:'''Pronouns:''' she/her

Hey! I’m a first-year PhD student at UT Austin. Previously, I attended the University of Washington for my bachelor's degree. So glad to see so many UW folks here in CDSC! :D
My research interests include online collective action, peer production, and community data governance.

In my free time, I enjoy baking, playing musical instruments (bass and Chinese flute), and playing farming games (e.g., Stardew Valley).

</div>


<div style="clear:both;">
=== Haomin Lin (University of Washington) ===

[[File:Hl23.jpg|thumb|200px|Haomin at the Kerry Park in Seattle (Credit to Yibin for this great recruting photo!)]]

I am a third-year PhD student in the Communication Department at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. I am co-advised by Professor Benjamin Mako Hill and Professor Wang Liao at COM UW. My research interests revolve around group dynamics in online communities. I am eager to find patterns in processes where micro-level interaction patterns shape communities/organizations.

Prior to joining CDSC, I obtained my M.S. degree from Georgia Tech and worked as a data scientist on generative language models. I look forward to applying computational methods properly to study questions related to communication processes. I am also interested in learning about qualitative methods to research people's exact thoughts on certain topics.

Aside from working and studying, I enjoy my free time through traveling, hiking, and snowboarding (Seattle is a great place for all of them!)
</div>


<div style="clear:both;">
=== Manish Kumar (University of Texas at Austin) ===

[[File:Copy of 20230814 ISchoolPortraits bhs 074 copy.jpg|thumb|200px|The one professional picture Manish has which he is gonna use till the end of his days]]

Hello, I am a first-year PhD student at the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin. I am advised by Dr Nathan TeBlunthuis and Dr Edgar Gómez Cruz. My work explores political expression on social media and how it connects to people’s offline relationships. I’m fascinated by human experiences at scale, and I try to bridge qualitative inquiry with computational techniques to capture that complexity. Broadly, I study how social media/technology becomes woven into people’s everyday political sensemaking (and yes, I mean all kinds of politics, not just the capital-P kind).

I grew up in Patna, India. I earned a degree in Information Science & Engineering and spent a few years as a software developer, but I’ve always been drawn to the sociological side of technology. That curiosity took me to UC Berkeley for a Master’s of Information Management and Systems, where I discovered research and got completely hooked.

In my free time, I like to do nerdy stuff like reading historical fiction, going on walking tours, learning about local history (that includes the petty neighbourhood rivalries) and going to museums.
</div>

<div style="clear:both;">

=== Ellie Ross (University of Washington) ===

[[File:Elliew-butterfly.JPG|thumb|200px|Ellie at Turtle Bay.]]

Ellie is a 3rd year PhD student at UW and a dedicated researcher specializing in the analysis of open source communities. With a focus on understanding collaborative dynamics, Ellie investigates various online platforms to uncover insights into community engagement, content development, and the impact of peer collaboration. Through her research, Ellie aims to shed light on the mechanisms that drive interaction and knowledge sharing in digital spaces. Her work contributes to a deeper understanding of online communities and their role in shaping digital culture.

You can find more information here on [https://sites.google.com/uw.edu/ellie-mercedes-ross/bio my website].

</div>

<div style="clear:both;">

=== Dylan Smith (University of Washington) ===

:'''Pronouns:''' they/them

Hello, my name's Dylan, and I'm a first-year MA/PhD student at University of Washington—Seattle in Communication. I grew up in Portland, Oregon and got a bachelor's degree in Computer Science at Carleton College in Minnesota. My research interests are in online interpersonal communication and online governance. For the past few years, I have been working on a research project studying Wikipedia's arbitration process.

In my free time, I like reading fiction, spending time with friends, hiking, and long-distance running. Last Spring, I ran my first marathon!!!

</div>

<div style="clear:both;">

=== Ran Tang (University of Washington) ===

[[File:Ran with an Owl in Tokyo.jpg|thumb|200px|Ran with an Owl in Tokyo.]]

Hello! My name is Ran, and I’m a MA/PhD student in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington. My research focuses on the moderation of online communities. I primarily use qualitative methods to study the daily work of volunteer moderators, and I’m also exploring the use of quantitative approaches in future projects.

In my free time, I enjoy playing table tennis and swimming.

</div>

<div style="clear:both;">

=== Dionna Taylor (University of Washington) ===

[[File:Bruges 2025.png|thumb|200px|Very professional photo of Dionna (right) somewhere in Belgium circa 2025.]]

:'''Pronouns:''' she/her

Hello! I am a second year MA/PhD student in the Communication Department at the University of Washington and I am co-advised by Benjamin Mako Hill and Carmen Gonzalez. Having obtained my BA in Psychology and Communication (also from UW!), I have always been fascinated by the intersection of human behavior and technology. My research primarily looks at online healthcare communities and seeks to understand what we can learn from online discourse about health conditions. 

Although I grew up in the Greater Seattle Area, I also have spent some time in New England and Southern California. In my free time you can find me reading, line dancing, or traveling :)

</div>

<div style="clear:both;">