Professor of communication
Western Michigan University
Chad Edwards is a professor of communication in the School of Communication at Western Michigan University (WMU). Previously, he was a Hartel Fellow at Marietta College. Edwards' research interests include human-machine communication, human-robot interaction, artificial intelligence, and instructional communication.
Recent publications include articles in: Communication Education, Communication Research Reports, Computers in Human Behavior, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, and Communication Studies (including Article of the Year in Communication Studies).
Edwards co-directs the Communication and Social Robotics Labs. He is a co-author on a Sage textbook entitled Life in the Communication Age: Connecting and Engaging (2013/2016/2019). He has received several top paper awards for his research. He serves on numerous editorial boards, has held offices at both national and regional communication conferences, and is a past-president of the Central States Communication Association.
He is the incoming Executive Director of Central States Communication Association. In 2009, Edwards received the WMU Distinguished Teaching Award (the highest teaching award given by WMU).
In 2017, he received the highest research award from the College of Arts and Sciences at WMU. He also has been awarded teaching awards from the WMU College of Arts and Sciences, University of Kansas, and Texas Tech University.