Debra Pierce retires from UW–Madison’s SJMC after nearly two decades, leaving a legacy of innovation in digital media, AI, and strategic communication.
Faculty
News about SJMC faculty and staff.
From Classroom to Collaboration: A Research Partnership Examining Digital Politics
Professor Young Mie Kim and former student Ross Dahlke explore how digital campaigns impact voter turnout and political behavior.
Public Tech Media Lab partners with Factchequeado to train newsrooms across the country
PTML has partnered with Factchequeado to train newsrooms across the country on tools and techniques for conducting their own digital investigations with Open Source Intelligence.
Letter from the Director: March 2026
Director Katy Culver reflects on the lasting impact of the SJMC on its students and faculty and through its ground-breaking research.
Research shows social media advertising suppresses voting in targeted communities
A new study from SJMC professor Young Mie Kim is the first to quantify the effect of this kind of microtargeting on voter turnout.
Inside UW-Madison’s AI Terrarium: Recreating Human Belief in a Digital World
What happens when AI is built to think like people? Dive into the AI Terrarium, a bold experiment in modeling human belief and persuasion.
Meet the SJMC’s Spring 2026 Adjunct Instructors and Lecturers
Meet the four adjunct instructors and lecturers bringing their expertise to SJMC classrooms this spring.
Letter from the Director: December 2025
Director Katy Culver reflects on the value of a SJMC education and how the school is training students for the journalism, advertising and public relations jobs of tomorrow.
Professor Young Mie Kim Receives Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorship
SJMC Professor Young Mie Kim has been awarded the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorship for her research in digital media, politics, and democracy.
Shaping the Future of Journalism: SJMC’s Tomás Dodds Founds the Public Tech Media Lab
Tomás Dodds, Director of the Public Tech Media Lab, discusses the importance of equipping journalists with the right artificial intelligence tools in an ever-evolving world.