Congratulations to Dr. Neelam Modi on her commencement from Northwestern University! Neelam recently and successfully defended her Ph.D., marking the culmination of years of hard work and dedication.

Next, Neelam will be joining Columbia Business School as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Management Division and the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change.

📸 Pictured below: Neelam celebrating commencement alongside Noshir Contractor, Dipika Modi, Jaymin Modi, and Jignesh Modi

Wishing her all the best in this next chapter!

Congratulations to Professor Noshir Contractor of Northwestern University on receiving the ICA B. Aubrey Fisher Mentorship Award at the 75th Annual ICA Conference!

This prestigious award honors outstanding scholars who serve as exceptional mentors and role models in the field of communication. With a career dedicated towards building academic excellence and advancing communication research, Professor Contractor exemplifies the values of the International Communication Association (ICA).

ICA is a global organization committed to advancing the scholarly study of communication. With over 5,000 members in more than 80 countries, ICA has been officially associated with the United Nations since 2003 as an NGO.

New research by Brian Uzzi, Noshir Contractor, Satyam Mukherjee, and Yun Huang uncovers how recruiting individuals from rival teams can provide a strategic advantage.

Analyzing eight seasons of Indian Premier League cricket data, the study found that teams with greater familiarity with opponents were 1.6x more likely to win—highlighting the power of insider knowledge and team dynamics over individual talent alone.

These insights have important implications for hiring strategies across sports, academia, and business.

📰 Read the article: The Upside of Recruiting Your Rivals

Congratulations to Faith Do, an undergraduate researcher with the SONIC Lab, for winning 2nd place in the Social and Behavioral Sciences category at Northwestern’s Undergraduate Research Expo! 👏

Guided by SONIC PhD student Liangdongsheng (Simon) Liu, Faith’s project—“A Network Analysis of AI Intervention in Human Teams”—examined how AI influences human collaboration through network analysis.

We’re incredibly proud of Faith for advancing research at the cutting edge of AI and team science!

We are proud to share that Dr. Neelam Modi has successfully defended her dissertation titled “Essays on Network Approaches to Understanding Social Influence.” 🎓

Her committee was chaired by Noshir Contractor and included Dashun Wang and Leslie DeChurch (Northwestern), Johan Koskinen (Stockholm University), and Alina Lungeanu (Northeastern University).

Neelam’s defense drew a strong turnout both in person and online, including support from current SONIC PhD students Megan Chan, Liangdongsheng (Simon) Liu, and Gabriel Garlough-Shah, MA.

Next up, Neelam will join Columbia Business School as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Management Division and the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change. Congratulations, Dr. Modi! 🌟

We’re proud to announce that Glenna Wang, a dedicated member of the SONIC Research Group, has been awarded the Burton and Karol Lefkowitz Prize (Division II) during the 2025 Honors Convocation hosted by the Northwestern University School of Communication.

This prestigious award celebrates students who exemplify leadership through civic engagement, community service, and efforts to drive social change. Glenna’s contributions span marketing, data analysis, project management, internships at Verizon and Campus Ink, student theatre, and impactful research with SONIC.

Please join us in congratulating Glenna on this outstanding and well-deserved achievement!

Northwestern’s MS in Communication program proudly presents the Renaissance Leadership Retreat and Certificate, a five-day immersive experience in the heart of Tuscany.

This year’s program blends transformative leadership workshops with unforgettable cultural excursions, from vineyard tours and culinary delights to breathtaking landscapes. Designed to inspire, connect, and empower, this retreat honors four decades of advancing communication leadership worldwide.

🗓️ April 27 – May 2, 2025
📍 Florence, Italy

Noshir Contractor will be delivering an inaugural address at the ICA India Chapter’s 1st Anniversary Celebration Symposium on April 22, 2025.

The event, hosted by the University Department of Extension & Communication at SNDT Women’s University (Juhu Campus, Mumbai), will also feature inaugural remarks from Prof. Ujwala Chakradeo, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of SNDT Women’s University, and Dr. B.P. Sanjay, Chair (working) of the ICA India Chapter and core member of the ICA Regional Hub in Manipal.

📅 Date: April 22, 2025
🕤 Time: 9:30 AM IST
🔗 Join virtually

The SONIC Lab at Northwestern University is excited to announce the publication of our latest paper: “Modeling the ‘who’ and ‘how’ of social influence in the adoption of health practices” , now out in Social Networks!

Co-authored by Neelam Modi, Johan Koskinen, Leslie DeChurch, and Noshir Contractor

Using rich social network and behavioral data from two Kenyan communities, this study finds that mere exposure to adopters isn’t enough. What really matters is who talks about a practice and how they talk about it. Persuasive conversations, especially among close friends and family, significantly increase uptake. Interestingly, the most commonly used messages aren’t always the most effective.

🔗 Read the paper

We’re thrilled to share that Journal of Applied Communication Research (JACR) Volume 53, Issue 1 (2025) is live! This edition explores resilience in the context of media, caregiving, and scholarly collaboration across the globe.

A special shoutout to Noshir Contractor and Leslie DeChurch for their featured Forum article: “We Are a go for launch! working with NASA to forecast and improve team dynamics in space missions”

Their piece highlights groundbreaking work with NASA, forecasting and enhancing team dynamics in space missions—a perfect example of translating communication research into high-stakes, real-world impact.

Read the full issue here!