Rabindra “Robby” Ratan, professor, AT&T Endowed Chair, and director of the SPARTIE Lab in the Department of Media and Information, has been elected vice chair of the International Communication Association’s (ICA) Communication and Technology Division.
“As vice chair, I will lead the Communication and Technology (CAT) Division’s paper competition and planning at the ICA conferences in 2027 (Glasgow) and 2028 (Bangkok),” Ratan said. “This is a daunting task because CAT is one of the largest ICA divisions and as such gets a relatively high number of submissions.”
Following his term as vice chair, Ratan will transition to division chair for the 2028 ICA conference in Chicago and the 2029 meeting at a location yet to be determined. In that role, he will represent the division on ICA’s board of directors.
Ratan previously served in the same vice chair and chair sequence for ICA’s Game Studies Division and has held other leadership positions within the association. He said this new role has the potential to be his most meaningful contribution yet.
“I have done this ICA vice-chair/chair role once before—for the Game Studies Division—and led other committees at ICA, but this will hopefully be my most impactful role thus far, so I am very excited,” he said.
Ratan noted the CAT Division’s history as an entry point for new ICA members and its role in launching additional ICA interest groups and divisions, including mobile communication and human–machine communication.
“CAT is often an entry point for new ICA members and has served as a launching pad for multiple other ICA interest groups and divisions,” he said. “I look forward to helping CAT play a central role in the association. ICA is an amazingly supportive and inclusive organization, so I enjoy dedicating my service efforts there.”
Election results are available on ICA’s website.