research. applied analysis. teaching.

Portrait photograph of Gabriel Hales (fall 2022)

I am

GABRIEL

HALES;

a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Media & Information, and Researcher with the Quello Center, at Michigan State University.

focuses on the relationships between rural students’ academic achievement/social networks and their access, use, and skillsets related to digital technologies.

Primarily, I study how such relationships may be limited by or framed within the field of digital inequalities.

MY CURRENT

RESEARCH...

  • I work as a researcher/research assistant with the Quello Center, helping fund my Ph.D. and studying the relationships between connectivity, social networks, and education among adolescents in rural Michigan (2022-present).

    I have also worked with Robby Ratan, Ph.D., in the SPARTIE Lab and the IRL (Immersive Realities Lab) at MSU on human-avatar interactions (2021-2023).

  • Before my research-oriented focus, I worked as a teaching assistant with Ruth Shillair Ph.D., Robby Ratan Ph.D., and David Ewoldsen Ph.D., as well as an instructor of record for freshman to senior-level undergraduate classes in the Department of Media and Information.

  • If not working on projects related to my degree, I enjoy marathon running — with the goal of running as many major marathons in the EU before my legs give out — listening to podcasts (mostly while running), freelance and hobby photography and videography (my primary job and life trajectory pre-higher education), and spending time outside with my dog, Aurelius.

    [editor’s note: see dog tax here]

Specialization in statistical analysis, including:

  • Path Analysis
  • Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)
  • Multilevel Modeling (MLM) 
  • Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM)
  • Social Network Analysis

METHODS

Also experienced in qualitative methods, primarily concerning adolescents' digital media use at home and in public, including:

  • In-depth interviewing
  • Ethnography/observational methods
Gabe Hales giving a presentation at ICA 2024 in Gold Coast, Australia titled, "Social Media Use and Gender Inequalities in Reading, Writing and Math".
gabe (mid-twenties, male) running up classic Santa Monica highway hill in Los Angeles, with the sun rising behind him and his fists raised in a lack luster "Rocky Balboa" pose
Young man standing in front of a large wooden gate with a stone and stucco wall behind him, pointing at the camera.
Gabe squatting next to the best and nicest dog in the world (in Gabe's opinion) while on a beach and holding a running bib from a northern Michigan race (Grand Isle Half Marathon)

If not working on projects related to research, I prioritize running, listening to podcasts (mostly while running), and spending time outside with my dog.