Gabriel Hales

Gabriel (website; he/him) has a Ph.D. in Information and Media (2026) from the Department of Media and Information, College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University. Following the completion of his Doctorate, Gabe has accepted a post-doctoral position with Dr. Eszter Hargittai’s Internet and Society research group in the Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) at the University of Zürich, Switzerland. He continues to work closely with the Quello Center as a Research Fellow, publishing alongside his doctoral advisor, Dr. Keith Hampton. 

Gabe’s research investigates how access, use, and skills related to the Internet and digital technology can enhance or constrain social and academic outcomes, and how they interact with face-to-face networks and resources. This work is primarily framed by digital inequality. His methodological experience includes advanced statistical analysis (SPSS, Mplus, Stata, R), in-depth qualitative interviewing techniques, and the creation and implementation of survey research. He has likewise taught or co-caught undergraduate lectures and graduate (MA) seminar courses.

Prior to his Doctorate, Gabriel completed his Master of Arts (2021) and Bachelor of Arts (2020) in Media and Information at Michigan State University. His doctoral dissertation (Hales, 2026) focused on cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of how youth access and mobilize the digital context for development, and the creation of human and social capital (e.g., academic achievement, aspirations, social networks, in-person interaction). If not working on research, he enjoys marathon running, film photography, and spending time outside with his dog.

Please see Gabe’s Google Scholar or Contact for more information.