William C. Barley

William C. Barley is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is affiliated with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. His research focuses on collaboration across disciplinary boundaries, emphasizing how technologies shape communication and coordination in modern organizations. He employs ethnographic methods, social network analysis, and computational modeling to study teams in fields such as engineering, healthcare, and environmental science.

Education:

• Ph.D., Media, Technology, & Society, Northwestern University
• M.A., Media, Technology, & Society, Northwestern University
• B.S., Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego

Research Interests: Barley explores knowledge boundaries, organizational communication, and technology design through lenses like symbolic interactionism and practice theory. His work analyzes how diverse teams navigate challenges through communication strategies and technological tools. Recent studies investigate interdisciplinary collaboration networks, the role of 'ignorant expertise,' and digital model trustworthiness in innovation.

Awards:

• 2024 Dennis Gouran Research Award
• 2016 NCA Organizational Communication Division Outstanding Article Award

Advising & Grants: While no formal advisees are listed, his research receives institutional support through affiliations with NCSA and the Genomic Biology Institute. Grant activities likely align with his collaborative, interdisciplinary projects, though specific grants are not detailed here.

Labs/Teams: Engaged with the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and NCSA, contributing to team science initiatives and bioinspired design projects.