Hi! I'm Emily, a second-year PhD student in interpersonal communication at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

My research focuses on communication about and within romantic and sexual relationships. Currently, I'm a Gratitude Fellow funded by The Love Consortium to study cross-cultural expressions of love and gratitude. 

I utilize both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to investigate my research questions. Primarily, I am interested in how people understand themselves within their interpersonal relationships. For example, how do mediated spaces catalyze sensemaking about our relationships with close others? How do individuals practice consent during sexual activity? How do we communicate love and care to one another? I also use critical theory to research health disparities, inaccessibility, and disability.