Sri Kalyanaraman

Dr. Sriram “Sri” Kalyanaraman is Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Research at Michigan State University’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences. His prior academic appointments have been professorial positions at the University of Florida’s (UF) College of Journalism and Communications and the University of North Carolina’s (UNC) Hussman School of Journalism and Media. At both UF and UNC, he founded and directed media effects and technology labs. At UF, he co-founded the VR for Social Good (VR4SG) initiative and was a founding member of the Online Learning Institute, while at UNC, he was an affiliate faculty of the Interaction Design Lab and a founding member of the Interdisciplinary Health Communication (IHC) certificate program. Kalyanaraman’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Mysore University, India, and an interdisciplinary PhD in mass communication from Penn State. 

Kalyanaraman’s research attempts to answer a fundamental question: How do various forms and elements of storytelling help shed light on the complexities of human life and society? He is especially interested in using immersive media platforms to improve the human spirit and condition based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) program and focuses on such issues as climate and environmental science, health and well-being, and education. His research has been funded by both government (e.g., NIH, NOAA) and industry (e.g., Janssen Pharmaceutica) and he has been published in leading communication, media, health, and technology journals. He serves on editorial boards of several leading journals and was a co-editor of the interdisciplinary journal, Media Psychology.

Kalyanaraman has developed and taught graduate and undergraduate classes in digital media and communication technology, media effects and processes, research methodology, ethics and decision making, and solutions journalism. His global engagement includes stints in China, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, South Africa, Taiwan, and multiple universities in India.

Kalyanaraman’s academic experience includes certificate programs in climate change and health, intercultural mentoring, and storytelling at the workplace. He is a recipient of the Hillier-Krieghbaum Award conferred by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and the Florida Education Foundation’s William R. Jones Outstanding Doctoral Mentor Award.