The
Media Engagement Research Laboratory (ME Lab) is a community of DePaul faculty and students who are passionate about investigating the impact of communication on society. Our research explores how audiences interact with a variety of media across marketing and advertising, health communication, public relations and social media.
We build entrepreneurial partnerships with Chicago institutions, collecting data for clients at a fraction of the cost of market research companies. Proceeds from these partnerships allow us to pay student researchers for their work, which in turn helps students offset their education expenses.
The ME Lab is made possible by a generous grant through the Academic Growth and Innovation Fund at DePaul University.
Services
The ME Lab's comprehensive research services help our clients understand their
audience, brand and content. We work with some of the latest research technology to detect how users interact with online ads, social media and more. Some of these tracking tools include:
- Fixed, portable and virtual reality eye tracking
- Heart rate and skin conductance measurement equipment
- Biometrics software
- Social media sentiment analysis software
From start to finish, our research process provides thorough analysis, data collection and tailored recommendations.
- Problem identification
- Exploratory research
- Data collection
- Qualitative research and consumer insights (in-depth interviewing, focus groups)
- Quantitative research for market research (surveys, psychophysiology, content analysis)
- Data analysis
- Reporting
- Recommendation for policy or market implementation
ME Lab Team
Nur Uysal is an associate professor at DePaul University where she teaches courses in corporate communication and public relations. She holds a PhD in corporate communication from the University of Oklahoma. Uysal conducts research in corporate social responsibility, stakeholder engagement and the use of new communication technologies in public relations.
Tony Deng is an assistant professor of public relations and advertising. He conducts research in psychophysiological responses to advertising messages, psychological effects associated with new media use, and strategic communication in a cross-cultural context. He received his PhD at Michigan State University specialized in media and information. Pre-academia, Tony worked as editor for China Daily and Guangzhou Daily, and subsequently in advertising agencies in Hong Kong.
Get Involved with a ME Lab Project
This initiative is open to all faculty, undergraduate and graduate students at DePaul University. Review the
Research Projects page to see how you can get involved with research at the ME Lab.