Edward Timke Ph.D.

Edward Timke

Assistant Professor

Department
  • Advertising + Public Relations
timkeedw@msu.edu

Bio

Edward (Ed) Timke is a scholar of disability innovation and entrepreneurship, specializing in how communication and design practices in advertising, marketing, and media advance accessibility and inclusion for people of all abilities. His research takes a comparative, intercultural perspective to examine how entrepreneurs, designers, and organizations in North America and Europe develop inclusive solutions that shape public understanding and drive social change. Pulling from his experience as a public cultural historian, he uses qualitative methods such as oral histories, interviews, ethnographic observations, and archival research to document the contributions of innovators working at the intersection of disability, technology, and the creative industries. His work is engaged with communities and industry and aims to bridge academic research with practical impact.

Before coming to Michigan State University, Dr. Timke held positions at the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, Duke University (Cultural Anthropology and Innovation & Entrepreneurship), American University (School of International Service), and the University of California, Berkeley (Media Studies). Since 2016, he has been an editor (currently Co-Editor) of Advertising & Society Quarterly, an academic journal focused on advertising’s relationship to society, culture, history, and the economy.

He works closely with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the ANA Educational Foundation in New York to develop educational programs that build bridges between academia and industry. He recently co-spearheaded the creation of SeeHer's open-access certificate on gender and advertising. He has received a National Endowment for the Humanities Digital Humanities Advancement Grant and numerous awards recognizing his excellence in teaching and mentoring. In 2023 and 2024, he served on a committee of disability experts assisting Travel Michigan within the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to select close to $1 million in accessible traveler grants for communities across Michigan. 

Timke is currently a co-Faculty Advisor to Tower Guard, one of Michigan State University's oldest honor societies that works with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) to support and provide allyship for students with disabilities. He was a Tower Guard member during his undergraduate studies at MSU.

Research and Teaching

  • Disability innovation and entrepreneurship in communication, advertising, and design
  • Comparative and intercultural perspectives on entrepreneurship and inclusive communication
  • Cultural history of advertising and its role in shaping social change
  • International and intercultural communication with an emphasis on accessibility and equity
  • Public and applied scholarship in communication and entrepreneurship
  • Industry- and community-engaged research
  • Qualitative research methods: ethnography, oral history, focus groups, textual and visual analysis, and archival research
  • Quantitative research methods: statistical analysis and data visualization, particularly as applied to historical and industry data
Education

PhD, Communication, University of Michigan

MA, International and Intercultural Communication, University of Denver

BA, International Relations and French, Michigan State University

Select Grants and Honors

2025-26, U.S. Fulbright Scholar, Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden) - MSU Fulbright Scholars and Students announced for 2025-26

2025, Understood Speaker Grant Recipient

2025, Journalism History Essay Contest Winner - Timke wins Journalism History’s 2024/25 Essay competition – Journalism History journal

2024, Diversity Microgrant, History Division, AEJMC - A History of Ability Magazine

2024, Tetrad Initiative, Michigan State University - Embracing Organizational “Climate” Change: Understanding Key Indicators of Receptiveness to DEI-Related Change Initiatives in Geoscience Departments 

2017, Digital Humanities Advancement Grant, National Endowment for the Humanities - Circulating American Magazines

Some Recent Publications

Timke, E. (2025). Redefining norms: Disability representation and identities in social media advertising. In E. Willis & C. Painter (Eds.), Communicating disability: Expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion in health communication and mass media. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003484240

Timke, E., & Nelson, M.R. (2025). Reckoning with representation: Disability and DEI in the post-Floyd advertising landscape. In E. Willis & C. Painter (Eds.), Communicating disability: Expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion in health communication and mass media. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003484240

Timke, E. (2025). Beyond stereotypes: Empowering methods in disability research in media and communication. In B. Smith & S. Smith (Eds.), Research methods for the marginalized: A communication approach for vulnerable populations. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003521235

Smulyan, S., & Timke, E. (2025). Advertising in popular culture. In J. Dickenson & R. Crawford (Eds.), The Routledge companion to advertising history. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003291947

Timke, E. (2025). The elusive question of circulation: Industry and academic perspectives on a key metric and journalism practice. Journalism History, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/00947679.2025.2508262

Timke, E., & Grow, J. M. (2025). DEI and Sweden’s middle way: The drive for social impact through inclusive advertising. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641734.2025.2498992

Timke, E., Sanghvi, M., Steinfield, L., & Thomas, K.D. (2025). Threads of resilience and hope in a pandemic. Journal of Customer Behaviour 24(1–2), 58–66. https://doi.org/10.1362/147539225X17466320388734

Timke, E. (2023). The advertising industry’s advice on accessibility and disability representation: A critical discourse analysis. Journal of Advertising, 52(5), 706–720. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2023.2255248

ABILITY Magazine Articles

Timke, E., Woodall, J., & Cooper, C. (2025, June). Nyle DiMarco on Deaf history, inclusion and justice. ABILITY Magazine. https://abilitymagazine.com/nyle-dimarco-on-deaf-history-inclusion-and-justice/

Timke, E., & McMahon, B. (2025, April). Race car driver, ad executive, diver and advocate: Torsten Gross—Life’s loopholes. ABILITY Magazine. https://abilitymagazine.com/race-car-driver-ad-executive-diver-and-advocate-torsten-gross-lifes-loopholes/

Timke, E. (2025, February). Can advertising build respect for people with disabilities? ABILITY Magazinehttps://abilitymagazine.com/can-advertising-build-respect-for-people-with-disabilities/.

Timke, E. (2024, July). Can ads create empathy for people with disabilities? ABILITY Magazinehttps://abilitymagazine.com/can-ads-create-empathy-for-people-with-disabilities/

Timke, E. (2023, December). Disability and advertising. ABILITY Magazinehttps://abilitymagazine.com/disability-and-advertising/ 

Contact Information

404 Wilson Rd.
Communication Arts and Sciences Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824