Tags: Faculty


Mackensie Minniear

Dr. Minniear received her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska Lincoln in 2020. You can learn more about Dr. Minniear's Lab here.


Chelsea Ratcliff

Chelsea Ratcliff is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at UGA. She uses empirical research methods to address pressing questions in ComSHER (Communicating Science, Health, Environment, and Risk), especially questions about how to effectively convey complex and uncertain scientific evidence to diverse audiences.  Current projects of the Communicating Uncertain Science to the Public (CUSP) Lab include examining…


Svilen Trifonov

Recent publications: Trifonov, S. (2023). The Rhetoric of Illiberal Democracy: Viktor Orbán’s Narratives of National Ascent and a Nation in Peril. Journal for the History of Rhetoric, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 59-77. DOI:10.5325/jhistrhetoric.26.1.0059 Trifonov, S. (2020). DREAMer Narratives: Redefining Immigration, Redefining Belonging. In Migration, Identity, and Belonging: Defining Borders and Boundaries of the Homeland, eds. Kumarini Silva and…


Soroya Julian McFarlane

Soroya Julian McFarlane (Ph.D., University of Miami) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on designing and evaluating communication interventions that address health disparities at the community level. Dr. McFarlane’s research agenda is driven by understanding how culture influences health, and how communication interventions that translate science for…


Book Announcement: Belinda Stillion Southard

Congratulations to Dr. Belinda Stillion Southard on the publication of her second book, How to Belong: Women's Agency in a Transnational World from Penn State University Press! See the attached press release for more information.    Press release
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Faculty


Jiaying Liu

Jiaying Liu (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) is an Associate Professor at the University of California Santa Barbara and an affiliate faculty in the Department of Communication Studies at UGA. Her research focuses on health communication. Her current projects include utilizing eye-tracking and neuroimaging methods to examine the underlying mechanisms of successful and counterproductive health communication.  She directs the Communication…


Michael F. Adams

Dr. Adams holds a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and has been awarded five honorary degrees. In addition, he is a specialist in political communication and higher education administration and has written professionally in both areas. Dr. Adams has held senior positions in state and national government as Chief of Staff to former Senator Howard Baker and as an advisor to former Tennessee Governor and current Senator Lamar Alexander.


Hillary Palmer

Dr. Hillary Palmer is a Lecturer in Rhetorical Studies. She completed her Ph.D. here at the University of Georgia, her M.A. in Communication at the University of Colorado Boulder, and her B.A. in Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park. Hillary's research interests lie at the intersection of rhetorical theory and criticism and women and gender studies. She is particularly interested in how these areas come together in relation…


John Banister

John Banister joined the Communication Studies faculty as limited term lecturer in 2022 after completing his PhD the previous year under the direction of Professor Thomas Lessl. Before coming to Georgia he studied speech communication and English at Iowa State University. He enjoys regularly teaching public speaking. John also has taught courses in rhetorical criticism, communication law, and interpersonal communication. John is a a scholar of…


Belinda A. Stillion Southard

Belinda joined the department in fall 2011 to teach and research in the general areas of rhetorical criticism, public address, and women's rights rhetoric. She currently serves as the department's Graduate Coordinator. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication and a Women's Studies Certificate from the University of Maryland. Her research and teaching interests are grounded in the public address tradition and are guided by questions regarding gender,…
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