PDL Team

​Composed of researchers from across disciplines, the Pitt Disinformation Lab (PDL) works to coordinate impactful strategies and policies to actively combat disinformation that meet the needs of communities on the ground.

The Team

  • Michael Colaresi, Director, Pitt Disinformation Lab, Co-Lead, Southwest PA Civic Resilience Initiative William S. Dietrich II Professor, Political Science, Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences; Pitt Cyber Research and Academic Director; Affiliate Scholar, Intelligent Systems Program
  • Lara Putnam, Co-Lead, Southwest PA Civic Resilience Initiative, UCIS Research Professor, History, Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences
  • Malihe Alikhani, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, School of Computing and Information
  • Dimitriy BabichenkoClinical Associate Professor, School of Computing and Information
  • Jessica Ghilani, Associate Professor of Communication, Pitt Greensburg
  • Sara Goodkind, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Department of Sociology, and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Program
  • Max Goplerud, Assistant Professor, Political ScienceDietrich School of Arts & Sciences 
  • Bob Gradeck, Project Director, Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center 
  • Adriana KovashkaAssistant Professor, Computer Science, School of Computing and Information 
  • Prashant Krishnamurthy, Professor, Informatics and Networked Systems, School of Computing and Information  
  • Yu-Ru Lin, Associate Professor, Informatics and Networked Systems, School of Computing and Information  
  • Sera LinardiAssociate Professor of Economics, GSPIA  
  • Michael Madison, Professor of Law and John E. Murray Faculty Scholar
  • Danielle R. Mehlman-Brightwell, PhD, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Communication
  • Rebekah Miller, Research and Instruction Librarian, Health Science Library System 
  • Amin RahimianAssistant Professor, Industrial Engineering, Swanson School of Engineering
  • Beth Schwanke, Executive Director, Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security  
  • Jeffrey Shook, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
  • Jaime SidaniAssistant Professor of Medicine  
  • Jonathan Woon, Professor of Political ScienceDietrich School of Arts & Sciences
  • Vladimir Zadorozhny, Professor, Department of Informatics and Networked Systems, School of Computing and Information 

Research Associates

  • Bree Bang-Jensen, Postdoc, Political Science, Dietrich School of Arts and Science
  • Beth Hoffman, PhD student, Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health 
  • Minsu Jang, PhD student, Political Science, Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences
  • Elizabeth Monk, Research Specialist, Center for Social & Urban Research  
  • Jacob Otto, PhD student, Political Science, Dietrich School of Arts & Science
  • Elise Silva, PhD student, English Composition, Digital Studies and Methods