Dr. Jeffrey W. Treem (Ph.D., Northwestern University) studies the relationship between technology use and social perceptions of expertise, primarily in organizational contexts. This research explores how communication technologies facilitate recurrent, interactive practices that affect attributions of knowledge individuals make regarding coworkers. Currently, Dr. Treem is pursuing two lines of research: the study of communication and expertise in knowledge-intensive and service-oriented work contexts, and investigation of issues surrounding the introduction of social media technologies into organizations. This work employs a variety of qualitative and quantitative analytical approaches including ethnographic methods and social network analysis.  

Dr. Treem’s work appears in publications such as Communication Monographs, Journal of Applied Communication Research, and Communication Yearbook. His teaching focuses on considering the ways that social media technologies may be shifting relationships between organizations and various stakeholders. Classes encourage students to move beyond commonplace assumptions about communication technologies and use existing theories to interpret ongoing changes in the contemporary communication environment.