Position Title
Associate Professor
Education
- Ph.D., Communication, Emphasis in Cognitive Science, University of California Santa Barbara, 2016
- M.A., Communication, University of California Santa Barbara, 2014
- B.S. Business Administration, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, 2006
About
Richard Huskey (PhD, University of California Santa Barbara) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and the Cognitive Science Program at the University of California Davis. Dr. Huskey is the principal investigator in the Cognitive Communication Science Lab, a researcher in the Computational Communication Research Lab, an affiliated faculty member at the Center for Mind and Brain, Center for Neuroengineering & Medicine, and Designated Emphasis in Computational Social Science. He is the former Chair of the International Communication Association Communication Science and Biology interest group, and is an Associate Editor at Journal of Communication.
Research Focus
Why do we stay motivated, even when faced with challenges? What drives us to engage with information, change our attitudes, and make decisions? Dr. Huskey investigates these questions by studying how the brain processes motivationally significant information, particularly related to persuasion, media processing and effects, and decision-making. His lab combines neuroimaging (fMRI, EEG), computational modeling—including reinforcement learning and AI-driven predictive models—and behavioral experimentation to examine how reward-driven learning shapes media selection, attitude updating, behavior change, and complex choices. Drawing from cognitive neuroscience, communication science, and computational social science, his work develops mechanistic models of cognitive control, motivation, and information processing.
To learn more about Dr. Huskey, and his research, visit the Cognitive Communication Science Lab website, or download his latest CV.