Yotam Ophir (PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 2018) studies political and science communication (media effects, persuasion, misinformation, conspiracy theories and extremism), using mixed-method approaches, including computational text mining, network analysis, experiments, and surveys. Dr. Ophir’s work was published in journals such as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), Journal of Communication (JOC), and Communication Methods and Measures (CMM). His coauthored book, “Democracy amid Crises: Polarization, Pandemic, Protests, & Persuasion” was published in 2022 by Oxford University Press. His sole-authored book “Misinformation & Society” is expected to be published in 2025. Dr. Ophir is the head of the Media Effects, Misinformation, and Extremism (MEME) lab, is a member of UB’s Center for Information Integrity, and is a distinguished fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2023, he received the “Exceptional Scholar: Young Investigator Award” from UB.

Educational Background

• PhD, University of Pennsylvania
• MA, University of Haifa, Israel
• BA, University of Haifa, Israel

Recent Courses

• COM 240: Introduction to Mass Communication
• COM 468: Misinformation & Society
• COM 515: Communication Theories
• COM 681: Computational Methods

Current Research

• Studying public perceptions of science and its impact on attitudes, policy support, and behaviors (surveys, experiments)
• Exploring extremist misinformation around political, cultural, and scientific topics (computational and manual content analysis, network analysis)
• Understanding public reaction to emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications (content analysis, surveys, experiments) 

Selected Publications

Ophir, Y., Walter, D., Jamieson, P., & Jamieson, K. H. (2023). Factors Assessing Science's Self-Presentation (FASS model) and their Effect on Conservatives' and Liberals' Support for Funding Science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213838120

Walter, D., & Ophir, Y. (2024). Meta-Theorizing Framing in Communication Research (1992-2022): Towards Academic Silos or Professionalized Specialization? Journal of Communication. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqad043

Ophir, Y., Pruden, M. L., Walter, D., Lokmanoglu, A. D., Tebaldi, C., & Wang, R. (2022). Weaponizing Reproductive Rights: A Mixed-Method Analysis of White Nationalists' Discussion of Abortions Online. Information, Communication, and Society, 26(11), 2186-2211. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2077654

Ophir, Y., Walter, N., Walter, D., Velho, R. M., Lokmanoglu, A. D., Pruden, M. L., & Andrews, E. A. (2022). Vaccine Hesitancy Under the Magnifying Glass: A Systematic Review of the Uses and Misuses of an Increasingly Popular Construct. Health Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2054102

Ophir, Y., Walter, D., Arnon, D., Lokmanoglu, A., Tizzoni, M., Carota, J., D’Antiga, L., & Nicastro, E. (2021). The framing of COVID-19 in Italian Media and its Effects on Community Mobility: A Mixed Method Approach. Journal of Health Communication, 26(3), 161-173. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2021.1899344