Walid Afifi

Walid Afifi’s project promotes greater diversity and inclusion in communication research. His project involves coding and analyzing the sample demographics of published studies in Communication journals to better understand who is represented in the field's body of knowledge. Student Research Assistance will be asked to collect and record demographic data for each study.

The project also includes opportunities for leadership, such as a Social Media Director position to oversee outreach and manage the project’s online presence. Students typically begin with 2 research credits in the fall and continue with 2 additional credits in the winter (for a total of 4), with many choosing to extend into spring or the following fall for up to 6–8 credits across multiple quarters. There are 5 positions available.

His second project is an opportunity to be an author on a conference paper and journal that vis-a-vis their community engagement. 

Bio:

Walid A. Afifi (Ph.D., University of Arizona) is a Professor in the Department of Communication and the Associate Dean and Director of Community Engaged Initiatives in the Division of Social Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Elected as a Fellow of the International Communication Association in 2021, he currently serves as President of the National Communication Association. Dr. Afifi is widely recognized for his contributions to understanding uncertainty and its effects on communication, information seeking, and well-being. His scholarship led to the development of the Theory of Motivated Information Management and, more recently, the Chronic Uncertainty Framework, which examines how sociostructural factors shape the experiences of communities facing chronic uncertainty, including immigrant and trauma-affected populations. He teaches courses in community engagement, interpersonal and nonverbal communication, relational communication, and uncertainty. His commitment to inclusive, community-engaged scholarship has been recognized through multiple awards, including UCSB’s Faculty Senate Teaching Award, the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity’s Esteemed Ally Award, and the Margaret T. Gettman Award for Service to Students.