Experts by Expertise: Social Media and the Internet

For help reaching an expert on deadline, please contact UB's media relations team at 716-645-6969 or ub-news@buffalo.edu.

Note to members of the news media:

The correct name of the university is “University at Buffalo,” not “University of Buffalo.”

  • Head shot of Sam Abramovich, University at Buffalo faculty expert on learning.
    8/16/21

    Sam Abramovich

    Associate Professor of Learning and Instruction, and Information Science

    Expertise: learning sciences, emerging technologies in education, alternative assessments, educational games, digital badges

    Phone: 716-645-3174

    Email: samuelab@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Samantha Barbas.
    3/3/23

    Samantha Barbas

    Professor of Law

    Expertise: Mass media law, libel, privacy, freedom of the press

    Phone: 716-645-6216

    Email: sbarbas@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Mark Bartholomew.
    12/7/23

    Mark Bartholomew

    Professor of Law

    Expertise: intellectual property, copyright, trademarks, cyber law, artificial intelligence and copyright law, cybersecurity bills, net neutrality, advertising law

    Phone: 716-645-5959

    Email: bartholo@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Stephanie Choi.
    6/9/23

    Stephanie Choi

    Postdoctoral Associate, Asia Research Institute

    Expertise: K-pop music, global gender politics, affective labor, and political economies in digital media

    Phone: 716-645-2457

    Email: schoi43@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of David Doermann, University at Buffalo faculty expert on artificial intelligence.
    11/16/23

    David Doermann

    SUNY Empire Innovation Professor of Computer Science and Engineering

    Expertise: artificial intelligence, pattern recognition, machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, image analysis and recognition, document analysis, media forensics

    Phone: 716-645-1557

    Email: doermann@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Stephanie Fredrick, University at Buffalo bullying and cyberbullying expert.
    11/2/23

    Stephanie Fredrick

    Associate Director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention

    Expertise: bullying, cyberbullying, youth mental health, bullying interventions

    Phone: 716-645-1141

    Email: ssfredri@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Shira Gabriel, University at Buffalo social psychology and social connection expert.
    4/7/23

    Shira Gabriel

    Professor of Psychology

    Expertise: social psychology, social connections, sense of self, the need to belong, comfort food

    Phone: 716-645-0227

    Email: sgabriel@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Joana Gaia, University at Buffalo digital security and privacy expert.
    8/16/21

    Joana Gaia

    Clinical Assistant Professor of Management Science and Systems

    Expertise: health information systems; business intelligence; digital security and privacy; data analytics; emergency management; girls and STEM careers

    Contact: Joana Gaia can be reached most quickly through Jackie Ghosen in the School of Management Communications Office at 716-645-2833 or mgt-pr@buffalo.edu.

  • Head shot of Melanie Green.
    9/7/21

    Melanie Green

    Chair and Professor of Communication

    Expertise: persuasion, power of narrative, storytelling, online friendships, trust and deception online

    Phone: 716-645-1508

    Email: mcgreen2@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Kenneth Joseph, University at Buffalo computing for social good expert.
    3/29/24

    Kenneth Joseph

    Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering

    Expertise: computing for social good; societal impacts of social media and online platforms (including in news and politics); inequality and societal divides; artificial intelligence

    Phone: 716-645-0682

    Email: kjoseph@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Heidi Julien.
    12/7/23

    Heidi Julien

    Professor of Information Science

    Expertise: digital literacy, information literacy, information behavior, information practice

    Phone: 716-645-1474

    Email: heidijul@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Arun Lakshmanan, University at Buffalo marketing and consumer attention expert.
    8/16/21

    Arun Lakshmanan

    Associate Professor of Marketing

    Expertise: sensory marketing and visual perception; consumer attention and learning; new product use and design; advertising and social media

    Contact: Arun Lakshmanan can be reached most quickly through Jackie Ghosen in the School of Management Communications Office at 716-645-2833 or mgt-pr@buffalo.edu.

  • Head shot of Jianqiang Wang, University at Buffalo expert on information science and information retrieval systems.
    8/16/21

    Jianqiang Wang

    Associate Professor of Information Science

    Expertise: information retrieval, cross-language information retrieval, information retrieval systems for short text and social media conversations

    Phone: 716-645-2412

    Email: jw254@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Siwei Lyu, University at Buffalo deepfakes, digital media forensics and computer vision expert.
    1/26/24

    Siwei Lyu

    SUNY Empire Innovation Professor of Computer Science and Engineering

    Expertise: digital media forensics, deepfakes, computer vision, machine learning, art authentication

    Phone: 716-645-1587

    Email: siweilyu@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Nadine "Shaanta" Murshid, University at Buffalo faculty expert on social policy, intimate partner violence and microfinance.
    9/12/23

    Nadine Shaanta Murshid

    Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

    Expertise: microfinance, mobile financial services, domestic violence, street harassment, women’s health, trauma

    Phone: 716-645-5749

    Email: nadinemu@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Amanda Nickerson.
    11/8/21

    Amanda Nickerson

    Director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention

    Expertise: school violence, bullying prevention and intervention, parent and peer relationships, assessment and treatment of emotional and behavioral disorders

    Phone: 716-645-1532

    Email: alberticenter@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Yotam Ophir, University at Buffalo media effects and health, science and political communication expert.
    12/7/23

    Yotam Ophir

    Assistant Professor of Communication

    Expertise: misinformation; persuasion; effect of media content on audiences, including in health, science, politics and terrorism

    Phone: 716-645-1158

    Email: yotamoph@buffalo.edu

  • Bina Ramamurthy, research associate professor of computer science.
    8/31/21

    Bina Ramamurthy

    Professor of Teaching in Computer Science and Engineering

    Expertise: Blockchain; blockchain and cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ether) and non-fungible tokens; data-intensive computing; big data platforms


    Phone: 
    716-645-3182

    Email: bina@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Margaret Rhee, University at Buffalo new media and social justice expert.
    10/26/23

    Margaret Rhee

    Assistant Professor of Media Study

    Expertise: digital storytelling; participatory art; new media, ethnic, cultural, Asian American, queer and feminist studies

    Phone: 716-645-0923

    Email: mrhee@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Maria Y. Rodriguez, University at Buffalo social work and human services expert.
    12/7/23

    Maria Y. Rodriguez

    Assistant Professor of Social Work

    Expertise: Computational methods in social work and social policy; social movements on social media; disinformation targeting Black and brown communities online

    Phone: 716-645-2986

    Email: myr2@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Sourav Sengupta, University at Buffalo child and adolescent mental health expert.
    9/29/22

    Sourav Sengupta

    Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics

    Expertise: Child and adolescent mental health; children’s and adolescents’ use of technology, including screen time

    Email: souravse@buffalo.edu

    Contact: Sourav Sengupta can be reached through Ellen Goldbaum in University Communications at 716-645-4605 or goldbaum@buffalo.edu, or Douglas Sitler in University Communications at 716-645-9069 or drsitler@buffalo.edu.

  • Sanjukta Smith.
    9/20/22

    Sanjukta Smith

    Associate Professor and Chair of Management Science and Systems

    Expertise: online social networks, cloud computing, data center operations

    Contact: Sanjukta Smith can be reached most quickly through Jackie Ghosen in the School of Management Communications Office at 716-645-2833 or mgt-pr@buffalo.edu.

  • Head shot of Machiko Tomita, University at Buffalo aging and caregiving expert.
    8/16/21

    Machiko R. Tomita

    Clinical Professor of Rehabilitation Science

    Expertise: aging, falls and frailty prevention in older adults, caregiving for older adults, smart home technology, virtual group exercise

    Phone: 716-829-6740

    Email: machikot@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Shambhu Upadhyaya, University at Buffalo cybersecurity expert.
    8/16/21

    Shambhu Upadhyaya

    Professor of Computer Science and Engineering

    Expertise: cybersecurity, hacking, encryption, cyberattacks, protecting infrastructure from cyber threats

    Phone: 716-645-3183

    Email: shambhu@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Hua (Helen) Wang, University at Buffalo communication and health promotion expert.
    11/2/23

    Hua (Helen) Wang

    Professor of Communication

    Expertise: communication strategies for health promotion and social change; entertainment-education; communication technology; social networks; digital media literacy; health interventions

    Phone: 716-645-1501

    Email: hwang23@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Yini Zhang, University at Buffalo political communication and social media expert.
    6/22/22

    Yini Zhang

    Assistant Professor of Communication

    Expertise: social media, political communication, misinformation, online activism, impact of social media on journalism and democracy

    Phone: 716-645-0954

    Email: yzhang20@buffalo.edu