Our Team

Brandon Boatwright, Ph.D., Director

Dr. Boatwright is a two-time graduate of Clemson University, and recently completed his doctoral studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Communication and Information with an emphasis in Advertising and Public Relations. His research focus examines the intersection of sports, social media, and opinion leadership. Specifically, the various strands of my research program are connected by three primary topics: (1) the role of opinion leadership in online environments and its effects on the broader network ecology of users and organizations, (2) how sociopolitical and sociocultural issues affect organizations, specifically within sports, and (3) issues associated with data privacy and ethics.

He has published original research in Public Relations Review, The Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, Computers in Human Behavior, The Journal of Public Interest Communication, and the Southern Communication Journal. He is an active member of the National Communication Association and the Southern States Communication Association. He is currently co-authoring a textbook on social media research methods designed to arm students with the latest social media research tools and data analysis strategies.

Dr. Boatwright oversees the various functions the SMLC performs which include working with undergraduate and graduate students on class assignments and projects, supporting data collection and research projects for faculty across the university, creating and sustaining external partnerships through the center, and pursuing grant opportunities.

Enamul Kabir, Ph.D., Research Associate

Dr. Enamul Kabir recently earned his Ph.D. in media and communication from Bowling Green State University, Ohio. He holds a master's degree in communication studies from Minnesota State University and currently serves as a Research Associate in the Social Media Listening Center at Clemson University. Dr. Kabir's research delves into understanding how online interaction patterns affect marginalized ethnic identities, public health, and the environment. His prior research utilized novel computational techniques for social media data analytics in the realms of hate and counter-hate discourse, misinformation, and democratic participation.

Dr. Kabir is also engaged in teaching and leading workshops on the application of computational methods to handle big data. The topics covered in these sessions span from topic modeling to conducting supervised machine-learning-based thematic analyses.

Jessica Hoffman, Associate Director

Jessica Hoffman is currently the Associate Director of the Social Media Listening Center and a Lecturer in the Department of Communication. She completed her M.S. in Communication Management from the University of North Florida and her B.A. in Strategic Communication from Flagler College. She is also currently a PhD Candidate at the University of Central Florida. Her primary research focuses on risk and crisis communication, social media, PR, and nonprofit management. She is also an active member and a Fundraising and Digital Media Strategist for the International Crisis & Risk Communication Association.

Lexi Merriman, Graduate Research Assistant

Lexi Merriman is a graduate of Clemson University with a degree in Communication and a minor in Nonprofit Leadership. She worked with several local nonprofit organizations in marketing and communications positions during her undergraduate career. Her research interests lie in sport communications and interpersonal communication within organizations, in particular how organizations use social media to communicate with fans, spectators, and constituents. She is currently a graduate student in Clemson’s M.A. Communication program.