The ICIR regularly works with a team of affiliate researchers to submit proposals and complete research projects. These scholars bring unique expertise and perspectives that makes our work more comprehensive and interdisciplinary.
Jack Lipei Tang
Dr. Jack Lipei Tang is an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at The University of Alabama. An expert in advocacy communication, social media, social networks, and computational social science, his research focuses on how marginalized groups leverage emerging communication technologies, such as social media and artificial intelligence, to connect, communicate, and drive social change. His award-winning research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals across communication, information science, and interdisciplinary fields, including Computers in Human Behavior, Social Media + Society, Social Networks, The Information Society, andJournal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Jack works with the ICIR as a consultant for the Information Privacy and Policy initiative.
Sean Sadri
Dr. Sean R. Sadri is an assistant professor of sports media in the Department of Journalism and Creative Media at the University of Alabama. His research primarily examines sports journalism in the modern media ecosystem, gender dynamics in sports media, and evolving perceptions of media credibility. His work has appeared in many prominent scholarly journals in the communication and sports media fields, including Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Journalism Studies, Journalism Practice, Journal of Gender Studies, and Communication & Sport. Sean serves on the board for the Beyond Sports Initiative.
Rebecca Katherine Ivic
Dr. Rebecca Katherine Ivic is a professor of health communication and Associate Dean of Research at the University of Alabama’s College of Communication and Information Sciences. A leading scholar in digital health and networked communication, she directs multiple funded projects focused on health information, online health, and the use of computational models to examine public engagement with health content and systems. Rebecca serves as a Senior Advisor to the Nature Medicine Commission on Quality Health Information for All and a Senior Editor of the Journal of Health Communication. Her work combines computational methods with strategic communication to inform global health policy, public trust, and organizational practice.
Travis Loof
Dr. Travis Loof is a research-to-operations scholar bridging media psychology, human-AI interaction, and crisis communication. His work focuses on translating social and communication science insights into operational tools, particularly AI-driven crisis solutions for government agencies like NOAA, ensuring research directly informs real-world decision-making. Travis’s expertise spans human-AI teamwork dynamics, public trust in emerging technologies, and interdisciplinary collaboration across hydrology, cyber-social systems, and communication science. He empowers communities by connecting researchers, policymakers, and operators to design actionable strategies while mentoring students to become skilled knowledge producers. Travis is also affiliated with the Alabama Water Institute (UA), Center for Cyber-Social Dynamics (KU), and the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (UA).
Matthew S. VanDyke
Dr. Matthew S. VanDyke is faculty lead of the Alabama Science Communication Initiative, senior fellow with the Office for Research & Economic Development, faculty fellow with the Global Water Security Center, and associate professor in the Department of Advertising & Public Relations at The University of Alabama, USA. Matt’s research examines the role of public relations in communicating about science and environmental risk. His research has been published in leading journals, and he has led and collaborated on teams receiving more than $4 million in extramural support. He serves on the editorial boards for Corporate Communications: An International Journal and Science Communication. Matt works closely with the ICIR director on collaborative efforts between the institute and the Alabama Science Communication Initiative.