Director of the SMART Lab and Professor in the School of Communication
John Brummette, Ph.D., is the Founding Director of the SMART Lab and a professor in Radford University’s School of Communication. His teaching, research, and applied work focus on public relations, crisis communication, social media analytics, data storytelling, data visualization, social network analysis, misinformation, AI literacy, and issues management.
As director, John Brummette, Ph.D., helps students, faculty, and campus partners connect strong research questions with appropriate methods, tools, and evidence. His work in the lab includes research design, social media analysis, data visualization, applied methods, and responsible uses of AI and data tools in academic and professional settings.
He brings experience across academic research, research compliance, applied communication, professional consultation, and organizational leadership. His background includes peer-reviewed scholarship, editorial board service, university-level research oversight, and applied work with organizations on AI literacy, crisis communication, data storytelling, and communication strategy. In the SMART Lab, that experience supports practical, research-based guidance for students, faculty, staff, and campus partners.
Graduate Assistants help support the SMART Lab's daily operations and are often the first people visitors meet when they come in. The lab’s graduate assistant team is interdisciplinary, bringing perspectives from communication, visual design, research, and related fields.
Graduate Assistants help students and campus partners get started with lab software, prepare for data collection, troubleshoot common issues, and consider which tools are best suited to a specific project. Depending on the project's needs, they may also provide research consultation and initial support in data visualization, data literacy, AI literacy, and responsible technology use.
When a project requires more specialized guidance, Graduate Assistants connect visitors with the lab director or another appropriate campus resource. Students, faculty, and staff may stop by for quick help or schedule a one-on-one research consultation.