Co-Directors
Terry Daugherty (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising at The University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on exploring issues within consumer behavior and understanding the effects of strategic media management, compelling interactive experiences, and the psychological state of “presence” experienced by users within mediated environments. The potential significance of this research transcends many of the advancements in media today as millions of consumers effectively explore technology for entertainment purposes, information gathering, social interaction, and decision-making. Terry’s work has appeared in the Journal of Advertising, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journal of Interactive Marketing, International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, and within numerous scholarly books. Prior to joining UT, Terry worked in the media industry as well as conducted research for the Media Interface and Network Design Lab at Michigan State University and at eLab in the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. The MIND Lab is an internationally recognized research center comprised of seven laboratories throughout the U.S. and Europe that specializes in “cognitive technology” and human computer interaction. eLab is an e-commerce research center and has been identified as “one of the premiere research centers in the world” for the study of e-business by the New York Times, and was branded the “No.1 e-commerce research lab” in the world by Google.
Matthew S. Eastin (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Advertising at The University of Texas at Austin. He previously served on the faculty for six years as an Assistant Professor of communication at the Ohio State University. Dr. Eastin’s research focuses on new media behavior. From this perspective, he has investigated information processing as well as the social and psychological factors associated with game play involvement, new media adoption, e-commerce, e-health, and organizational use. Generally, his research utilizes information processing as a central mechanism to new media experiences (i.e., affect, identification, perceptions, etc.) and knowledge acquisition. Dr. Eastin’s research can be found in the Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, CyberPsychology & Behavior, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, and Computers in Human Behavior, to name a few. Currently, Dr. Eastin serves on the Editorial Boards for the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media and I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society.