People

Co-Director 1

S. Shyam Sundar

S. Shyam Sundar (PhD, Stanford University) is Evan Pugh University Professor and James P. Jimirro Professor of Media Effects. He is the founding director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory at Penn State University’s College of Communications. He is also Director of the Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence, an interdisciplinary consortium at Penn State devoted to the development and application of AI with an emphasis on its social and ethical implications, enhancing social good and mitigating threats from its misuse. At Sungkyunkwan University, he holds a visiting appointment as a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Immersive Media Engineering. He is also a founding members of SKKU’s Department of Interaction Science in 2009.

Prof. Sundar is a theorist as well as an experimentalist. His theoretical contributions include several original models on the social and psychological consequences of communication technology— Modality-Agency-Interactivity-Navigability (MAIN) Model, Uses and Gratifications 2.0, Interactivity Effects Model, Agency Model of Customization, Motivational Technology Model, Online Source Typology and the Theory of Interactive Media Effects (TIME), along with its extension to Human-AI Interaction (HAII-TIME). His experiments investigate social and psychological effects of human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer-mediated communication (CMC) with a specific focus on technological elements such as multi-modality and interactivity that are unique to modern digital media. His research portfolio includes extensive examination of user responses to online sources, including machine sources such as chatbots, smart speakers, and other forms of artificial intelligence (AI).

Sundar was identified as the most published author of Internet-related research in communication and related fields during the medium’s first decade. His research is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Korea Science and Engineering Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Facebook, Inc., and Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services, among others. A frequently cited source on technology, Sundar has testified before the U.S. Congress as an expert witness and delivered talks at universities in several countries. He is editor of the first-ever Handbook of the Psychology of Communication Technology, published by Blackwell Wiley in 2015. He has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication and on the editorial boards of over 20 other journals. He is a Fellow of the International Communication Association (ICA), and has served as chair of its Communication & Technology division, 2008-2010. He is a recipient of the Frederick Williams Prize awarded by the division for contribution to the study of communication technology. He is also winner of the Paul J. Deutschmann award for excellence in research from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

Keywords

Communication Technology

Media Psychology

Human-Computer Interaction

Interactive Media Effects

Appointments

7/2024—present

Evan Pugh University Professor, Penn State University

9/2021—present

Director, Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence, Penn State University

9/2018—present

James P. Jimirro Professor of Media Effects, Department of Film/Video & Media Studies, Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Penn State University

9/2024—present

Distinguished Professor (visiting appointment), Department of Immersive Media Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea

7/2009—9/2018

Distinguished Professor, Department of Film/Video & Media Studies, College of Communications, Penn State University

9/2013—8/2015

Visiting Professor, Department of Interaction Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea

5/2009—8/2013

World Class University (WCU) Professor (visiting appointment), Department of Interaction Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea

7/2007—6/2009

Professor, College of Communications, Penn State University

7/2001—6/2007

Associate Professor, Department of Film/Video & Media Studies, College of Communications, Penn State University

7/2001—present

Co-Director, Media Effects Research Laboratory, College of Communications, Penn State University

1/1997—6/2001

Director, Media Effects Research Laboratory, College of Communications, Penn State University

7/1995—6/2001

Assistant Professor, Department of Film/Video & Media Studies, College of Communications, Penn State University

Selected Publications

Sundar, S. S. (2008). The MAIN model: A heuristic approach to understanding technology effects on credibility (pp. 73-100). Cambridge, MA: MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Initiative. [Citations: 2743]
Sundar, S. S., & Limperos, A. M. (2013). Uses and grats 2.0: New gratifications for new media. Journal of broadcasting & electronic media, 57(4), 504-525. [Citations: 1701]
Sundar, S. S., Kalyanaraman, S., & Brown, J. (2003). Explicating web site interactivity: Impression formation effects in political campaign sites. Communication research, 30(1), 30-59. [Citations: 861]
Sundar, S. S., & Nass, C. (2001). Conceptualizing sources in online news. Journal of communication, 51(1), 52-72. [Citations: 893]
Go, E., & Sundar, S. S. (2019). Humanizing chatbots: The effects of visual, identity and conversational cues on humanness perceptions. Computers in human behavior, 97, 304-316. [Citations: 1201]
Appelman, A., & Sundar, S. S. (2016). Measuring message credibility: Construction and validation of an exclusive scale. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 93(1), 59-79. [Citations: 960]

Awards and Honors

Top 3 Paper Award, Communication Theory and Methodology Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August, 2025
Merit Award for Cultivating Outstanding Talent, Institute of Information Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), Republic of Korea, June, 2025
Fellow, Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program Fellow, Penn State University, 2024-25
Best Paper Award, International Symposium on Trustworthy Autonomous Systems (TAS’24), September, 2024
Evan Pugh Professor, Penn State University, July 2024
Top 3 Paper Award, Communication and Technology Division, International Communication Association, June, 2024
Honorable Mention Award, CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ‘22), 2022
Frederick Williams Prize for Contributions to the Study of Communication Technology, Communication and Technology Division, International Communication Association, 2020
Top Paper Award, Information Systems Division, International Communication Association, May, 2020
Honorable Mention Award, CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ‘20), 2020
AEJMC News Audience Research Paper Award, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 2019
The Paul J. Deutschmann Award for Excellence in Research, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 2018
Fellow, International Communication Association, 2017
Top 3 Faculty Paper Award, Communication Technology Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Minneapolis, MN, August, 2016
Faculty Scholar Medal--Award for Outstanding Achievement (Social & Behavioral Sciences), Penn State University, 2016
College Faculty Marshal, College of Communications, Winter Commencement Ceremonies, December, 2015
Distinguished Educator Award, Mass Communication & Society Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), August, 2014
Institute for Public Relations (IPR) Top 3 Papers of Practical Significance Award, International Public Relations Conference (IPRRC), Miami, FL, March, 2014
Top 3 Faculty Paper Award, Communication Technology Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Washington, DC, August, 2013
Deans’ Excellence Award for Integrated Scholarship, College of Communications, Penn State University, 2011-2012
Best Late-Breaking Report Award, HRI 2012, the 7th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, Boston, MA, March, 2012
Top Paper Award, Public Relations Division, International Communication Association, Boston, MA, May, 2011
Top 4 Faculty Paper Award, Communication Technology Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Chicago, IL, August, 2008
Top 3 Paper Award, Game Studies Division, International Communication Association, Montreal, Canada, May, 2008. Top 3 Paper Award, Public Relations Division, International Communication Association, Montreal, Canada, May, 2008
Deans’ Excellence Award for Integrated Scholarship, College of Communications, Penn State University, 2007-2008
Top Paper Award, Information Systems Division, International Communication Association, San Francisco, CA, May, 2007
Faculty Marshal, Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Spring Commencement Ceremonies, May, 2007
Top 3 Paper Award, Communication & Technology Division, International Communication Association, New York City, Dresden, Germany, June, 2006
Faculty Marshal, Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Spring Commencement Ceremonies, May, 2006
Top Paper Award, Communication & Technology Division, International Communication Association, New York City, NY, May, 2005
Deans’ Excellence Award for Research, College of Communications, Penn State University, 2004-2005
Top Paper Award, Communication Theory & Methodology Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Kansas City, MO, July, 2003
Top Paper Award, Communication & Technology Division, International Communication Association, San Diego, CA, May, 2003
Top Paper Award, Information Systems Division, International Communication Association, Seoul, South Korea, July, 2002
Top Three Division Paper Award, Communication & Technology Division, International Communication Association, Acapulco, Mexico, June, 2000
College Faculty Marshal, College of Communications, Spring Commencement Ceremonies, May, 2000
Deans’ Excellence Award for Research, College of Communications, Penn State University, 1999-2000
Nominated for the Penn State College of Communications Alumni Society’s 2000 Excellence in Teaching award
Top Three Faculty Paper Award, Communication Technology & Policy Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Chicago, IL, August, 1997
Top Three Faculty Paper Award, Communication Technology & Policy Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Anaheim, CA, August, 1996
Top Three Division Paper Award, Communication & Technology Division, International Communication Association, Chicago, IL, May, 1996
Centennial Teaching Assistant, Stanford University, 1994-95
Delegate, 2nd National Seminar on the State of Media Studies, Freedom Forum Center, Columbia University, New York, 1994
Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Journalism, University of Alabama, 1990-91
Metz Scholarship for Media Management, Alabama Press Association, Birmingham, AL, 1991-92
Spain-Hickman International Student Award, Rotary District 686, Tuscaloosa, AL, 1990-91
Third Prize, Carol Burnett/AEJMC/University of Hawaii Graduate Student Ethics Competition, 1990
Outstanding Graduate Assistant, Department of Journalism, University of Alabama, 1989-90
Sesquicentennial Alumni Graduate Scholar, National Alumni Association, University of Alabama, 1989
Member, Kappa Tau Alpha, National Journalism Honor Society. Member, Phi Kappa Phi

Selected Invited Talks

Role of AI in Communication: New Theory and Research, Colorado State University, 2024
AI in Media and Communication: A Socially Responsible Approach, Penn State University, 2023
MAIN Model: Origin and Impact, Penn State University, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Why Fake News Thrives Online,Penn State University, 2019
Social Media Effects—The Good and the Bad, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, 2017

Contact

✉ sss12@psu.edu

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