Portrait photograph of Gabriel Hales (fall 2022)

I am

GABRIEL

HALES;

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

MY CURRENT

RESEARCH

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.

RESEARCH

I work as a graduate researcher with the Quello Center 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).

TEACHING

Before my research-oriented focus, I worked as a graduate 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.

HOBBIES

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 life trajectory pre-higher education), and spending time outside with my dog, Aurelius.

[editor’s note: see dog tax here]

Picture in front of a large computer/PC desk with three monitors taking up the view. On the monitors there are many windows open, most of which being analysis software like Mplus and SPSS, as well as Google Chrome, articles, Spotify, and Notion

[Photo of current home PC w/ Mplus & SPSS in use - ready for analysis! ha…]

METHODOLOGIES

I specialize in advanced statistical analysis; for example:

  • Path Analysis

  • Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

  • Multilevel Modeling (MLM)

  • Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM)

  • Social Network Analysis

And I have experience in qualitative methods including in-depth interviewing and observations / ethnography, primarily concerning adolescents' digital media use at home and in public.

MY RESEARCH & WORK

has been accepted at conferences like the National and International Communication Association, and the American Sociological Association, and I have multiple manuscripts and reports in progress, under review, and published with peer-reviewed journals.

Prior to my current degree, I completed my Master of Arts (2021) and Bachelor of Arts (2020) in Media and Information at MSU.

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
Picture of Gabe (male, mid-twenties) standing in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, expressionlessly eating a sandwich on a french baguette, with cars zooming close behind him... almost too close?
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.