Relationships & Technology Lab
The Relationships and Technology Lab conducts social scientific research on communication, technology use, and relationships. If you're an undergraduate student who is interested in getting involved as a research associate, please email your CV and a short statement of interest to Dr. Sharabi. If you're a prospective graduate student and would like to learn more about our Ph.D. program, you can find more information here.
Lab Director
Dr. Liesel Sharabi is an associate professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication and Director of the Relationships and Technology Lab. Her research explores how technology is changing dating and romantic relationships. She has published dozens of papers on the topics of dating apps and social media, multimodal relationships, algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI), and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). She also been featured in media outlets like The Wall Street Journal, WIRED, and NPR. More information can be found on her faculty page.
Doctoral Students
Paige Von Feldt is a second-year interpersonal and health communication doctoral student. She earned her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Kentucky, where she also minored in Sociology. As a communication scientist, she primarily uses quantitative methods to examine mental health, stigma, communication technologies, and their impact on well-being. She was recently awarded the Outstanding Thesis Award from the Interpersonal Communication Division of the National Communication Association. Currently, she is a funded research assistant on a study exploring the impacts of social touch in virtual reality. You can read her work in Social Sciences or the International Journal of Communication.
Mehek Dhillon is a first-year interpersonal and health communication doctoral student. She earned her B.S. in Communication from Arizona State University. As a communication scholar, Mehek plans to take a mixed-methods approach to study applications of technology in close relationships. Specifically, she is interested in how collective experiences and art in digital contexts impact community health and individual well-being.
Yuqi Xiao is a first-year technology and interpersonal communication doctoral student. He earned his B.A. in Optical Information Science and Technology from Sichuan University and his M.A. in Communication from the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. As a mixed-methods communication scholar, Yuqi's research centers on human-machine communication, technology and society, and the impact of technology on interpersonal relationships. His current research explores how Chinese parents use matchmaking software to intervene in their children`s relationships. You can read his work in Frontiers in Psychology.
Richard He (Qin He) is a first-year doctoral student in interpersonal communication. He received his B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as an M.A. in Psychology from New York University. Coming from a quantitative background, Richard is excited to utilize his skills in future research and further study various quantitative and qualitative research methods. His research interests revolve around romantic relationships. Specifically, he hopes to study topics related to dating, attraction, relationship compatibility, relationship well-being, cyclical relationships, etc.
Undergraduate
Research Associates
Sally Tan is an undergraduate sophomore from Goodyear, Arizona. Currently, she attends Barrett, The Honors College, where she is pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in Anthropology. As a Dorrance Scholar, she plans to enrich her education through experiences to build her understanding of psychology. In the future, she looks forward to becoming a psychologist.
Ava Papadakos is an undergraduate student from Pittsford, New York. She is currently a sophomore at the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication pursuing a degree in Communication. Ava is a member of Chi Omega at Arizona State University, a Panhellenic organization. After college she plans on traveling and expanding her network.
Hadley Allen
Savannah Ambrose
Janine Beer
Krysta Chotkowski
Jordan Coddington
Ainsley Coyle
Marco Dehnert
Lauren Dewan
McKenzie Diehl
Sara Downs
Aleksandra Froehlich
Zachary Hlatky
Merial Hutchison
Annamariah Hopkins
Merial Hutchison
Jake Mozden
Matt Mullin
Megan Niehoff
Delaney Overturf
Dominic Palisoc
Christiana Robey
Cassandra Ryder
Taryn Stahl
Ishanah Steele
Jennifer Tringale
Madison Wedge
Isabella Werner
Kaitlyn Whyte
Morgan Winner