Dr. M. Laeeq Khan
Laeeq Khan Bio
I have published extensively and delivered keynotes and featured talks around the world. I am a results-driven mixed methods researcher, educator, and digital strategist, possessing strong analytical skills and having 15+ years of experience in leading and implementing quantitative (surveys, experiments, A/B testing), qualitative (ethnography, interviews, focus groups), and analytics (text, network, data visualization) research methodologies, project design, and analysis. I have served in diverse roles as consultant, manager, strategist, educator, and leader in the fields of communication, marketing, and social media, with a demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional, highly productive teams.
In 2014 I earned my Ph.D. in Media and Information Studies from Michigan State University. I am currently a tenured Associate Professor in the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University; also serving as the founding Director of the Social Media Analytics Research Team (SMART) Lab. At the SMART Lab, I lead cross-functional research teams focusing on diverse topics, including user engagement, health informatics, risk and crisis communication, government public relations, misinformation and fake news on social media, and understanding media effects. I have successfully managed several creative projects that included web, social, and video messaging, from their design and implementation to their evaluation and analytics.
I am passionate about presenting data science to technical and non-technical audiences. I have experience working on research projects funded by USAID, National Science Foundation (NSF), and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. My research employing behavioral and attitudinal has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Computers in Human Behavior, Information, Communication, and Society, Behavior and Information Technology, International Journal of Communication, and Telematics and Informatics. My work and commentary have received considerable media attention and featured in the popular press such as The Hill, Tribune, and NPR.
COMPETENCIES
Leadership | Communication | Collaboration | Marketing | Mentoring & Training | Problem Solving | Public Speaking | Project Planning & Implementation | Design Thinking | Behavioral & Attitudinal Research | Storytelling | Engagement |
RESEARCH SKILLS
Data Collection, Cleaning, Analysis | Visualization | Surveys | Experiments | Interviews | Text Analytics | Sentiment | Social Network Analysis (SNA) | A/B Testing | Visual Analytics | GIS | Prototyping | Reporting | Search Engine Optimization
TOOLS
SPSS | SMART PLS | JMP | NVIVO | LIWC | Tableau | SentiStrength | RapidMiner | Leximancer | NodeXL | Gephi | Google Analytics | WordPress | Dreamweaver | RSS Feeds | Hootsuite | DataWrapper | Voyant | Google Data Studio | Qualtrics | Google Surveys | MS Office |
EDUCATION
2014 – Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Media & Information Studies, Michigan State University
Michigan, United States
2004 – Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Marketing, Murray State University
Kentucky, United States
2003 – Master of Science (MS)
Telecommunication Systems Management
Murray State University, Kentucky, United States
AWARDS, LEADERSHIP & RECOGNITION
- 2020 – Ohio Faculty Newsmaker Award, Associated Press Top Stories (2020 & 2017)
- 2019 – Invited Researcher – $60,000 budget to establish a data analytics lab at the NUST Business School
- 2017 – Distinguished Alumni Award, Telecommunication Systems Management, Murray State
University, KY - 2015 – Seed Grant Funding for Social Media & Entrepreneurship, Understanding small businesses and
organizations deployment of social media and analytics tools for customer engagement - 2014 – Outstanding Achievement Award, MSU School of Journalism, Michigan State University, MI
- 2014 – Kappa Tau Alpha Medal, National Honor Society in Journalism and Mass Communication, In
recognition of excellence in scholarship, Michigan State University (MSU) - 2013 – Association for Business Communication (ABC) Scholarship, Presented at the annual ABC
International convention, New Orleans, LA - 2012 – AT&T Faculty-Staff Instructional Technology Award of Teaching Excellence, MSU
- 2012 – Research Assistant, Bill & Melinda Gates Research, College aspirations and social media, MSU
- 2011 – CAS Research Excellence Award, ($2500), College of Communication Arts & Sciences, MSU
- 2011 – Research Assistant, Vertical Industry Standards & Technology Adoption, National Science
Foundation (NSF, $300,000 project) - 2009 – President, MSU Simply Speaking Toastmasters Club. Michigan
Laeeq Khan, Ph.D. 