Team - Science Communication & Cognition Lab

Team Members

Asheley R. Landrum, PhD, is the principal investigator of the Science Communication & Cognition Lab and an assistant professor in the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University. Prior to this she was the Howard Deshong Postdoctoral Fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Landrum also completed a postdoc at the University of Louisville and she earned her PhD in psychological sciences from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Dr. Landrum's research focuses on how feelings, attitudes, values, and identities influence the way we think about science information. Her research has appeared in top journals such as Nature Nanotechnology, Trends in Biotechnology, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Cognition, and Developmental Science.

PhD Students

Othello Richards is currently pursuing a Ph.D at Texas Tech University. He has nearly 12 years of television broadcast reporting and producing experience. He earned his BA in Communications with an emphasis in Broadcast Journalism at Brigham Young University. From there, Othello entered the television news industry and worked as a local news reporter in Eastern Washington. He’s covered stories from as far away as Ethiopia. Othello left the industry to pursue a master’s degree in Mass Communications at BYU. While there, he also worked as a full-time visiting faculty News Media instructor for three years, as well as interim news director his final six months for the KBYU Eleven News. His research interests include how individuals process TV news, new media interactivity, and the role media convergence will play in the future of broadcast television news.

Othello is one of the graduate students leading the Cracking the Code: Millennial Engagement with Science Media project that is in collaboration with KQED and funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Alex Olshansky is currently pursuing a PhD in Mass Communications at Texas Tech University. He earned his BS in Finance at The University of Texas at Dallas and has 13 years of experience in the banking industry. Alex was most recently a VP of Operations for a growing community bank in Dallas and left the industry to pursue graduate education at Texas Tech University.

His research interests are in Science Communication and public perceptions and understanding of science. Alex is the graduate student lead on the Alternative Beliefs Project.

Kristina Janét is currently pursing a PhD in Mass Communications at Texas Tech University. She earned her BA in Public Relations at Texas Tech University and has experience in the publishing industry. Kristina was most recently a publisher of The Abernathy Advocate, a weekly newspaper in Abernathy, Texas. Her research interests include Environmental Communication and Science Journalism.

Kristina is one of the graduate students leading the Cracking the Code: Millennial Engagement with Science Media project that is in collaboration with KQED and funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.