COLLEGE PARK — Dr. Krishnan Vasudevan will become the new associate dean for research at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism on Sept. 1, Dean Rafael Lorente announced Thursday.
Vasudevan replaces Dr. Sarah Oates, who after three years in the position stepped down to focus on the college’s role in the Maryland Democracy Initiative. Oates, a professor and senior scholar, is an MDI principal investigator.
During her tenure, Oates raised the profile of Merrill College’s excellent research faculty by providing an increased platform for them to share their research and expertise — within the college, at the university and beyond. Her work to elevate Merrill College's efforts to support democracy have contributed to the exponential growth of MDI.
Vasudevan, Merrill College’s associate professor in visual communication, has been on the faculty since 2017. As associate dean for research, Vasudevan will boost the college’s research enterprise, and help integrate research and practice to reinvent journalism.
“Krishnan is a forward-looking, innovative and collaborative researcher whose combination of journalism and academic experience are a perfect fit for Merrill College,” Lorente said. “The college an I are indebted to Sarah for her efforts over the last three years to improve, expand and highlight the college’s research enterprise.
“It is a testament to the depth of talent and commitment at Merrill College that we are fortunate to have Krishnan step in to continue the work that is so critical to our mission and our field.”
Vasudevan is a scholar of platforms, journalism and design. He is the co-editor of "Platforms, Power and Friction" (Routledge, 2025), and his research has been published in top-tier publications such as New Media & Society; Information, Communication & Society; Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly; and Journalism Studies.
Vasudevan has been honored for his research at the prestigious Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and International Communication Association conferences. He is a former research chair of the AEJMC Cultural & Critical Studies Division. At UMD, Vasudevan was part of the university’s inaugural cohort of the Research Leaders Fellows Program, a 2024-25 Arts for All fellow and a recipient of two Independent Scholarship, Research, and Creativity Awards grants.
In addition to his scholarship, Vasudevan has produced and collaborated on several creative works during his time at Merrill College. Notably, Vasudevan's documentary feature on taxi driver activism was an official selection at the 2023 Big Sky Documentary film festival. Vasudevan was an integral member of the team that produced the award-winning journalism investigation “Code Red: Baltimore's Climate Divide,” led by the college’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. He also co-leads Merrill College’s master's (M.A.) documentary concentration
Before earning his doctorate at The University of Texas at Austin, Vasudevan was a multimedia journalist with stints at The New York Times and Slate.
For more information, contact:
Josh Land, Communications Manager
joshland@umd.edu