Marco Dehnert

Dr. Marco Dehnert joined the Department of Communication in Fall 2024 as a new Assistant Professor specializing in Communication and Technology. Dehnert is a multi-method scholar (with experience in quantitative, qualitative, and rhetorical methods) who studies human-machine communication, human-AI communication, and the social impact of communication technologies.  

Before coming to the University of Arkansas, Dehnert completed an M.A. and Ph.D. in Human Communication at Arizona State University. He was advised by Daniel Brouwer and Loretta LeMaster in his M.A. program, and by Liesel L. Sharabi and Sarah J. Tracy in his doctoral program. He received a B.A. from the Department of General Rhetoric and the Department of Media Studies from the University of Tübingen (Germany).  

As a prolific researcher, Dehnert’s work has appeared in many of the field’s top outlets, including New Media & Society, Human Communication Research Human-Machine Communication, and Review of Communication. Additionally, his work has been covered by top media outlets such as BBC’s Science Focus Magazine, NPR’s Marketplace, Scripps News, and The Independent. 

Dehnert has received many awards for his scholarship. He has received Top Paper Awards from multiple divisions of the National Communication Association and Western States Communication Association. He has received Outstanding Article Awards from the National Communication Association’s Human Communication and Technology Division, and from the Central States Communication Association. 

Before arriving in Fayetteville, Dehnert had extensive experience teaching at Arizona State University. His previous courses include Human-Machine Communication, Communication of Happiness, Quantitative Research Methods, Gender and Communication, and Introduction to Human Communication. At the University of Arkansas he will be teaching undergraduate and graduate classes in Human-Machine Communication, as well as core courses like Introduction to Communication Research. As the former recipient of multiple teaching awards – including the Hugh Downs School (ASU) Outstanding Doctoral Student Teaching Award and ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Professor of Impact Award – Dehnert brings both experience and excellence to the classrooms of Kimpel Hall.  

Dehnert considers himself fortunate to land in the department. He states, “I’m very excited to join the Department of Communication and be part of its amazing faculty. I’m especially excited to work with the Department’s outstanding students across the graduate program and undergraduate major.” 

Written by Ryan Neville-Shepard, Vice Chair and Associate Processor in the Department of Communication