Hi, I'm Rob.
I’m an assistant professor at Texas Tech University where I specialize in the fields of information science, technical communication, and emergency management. My research focuses on the design and use of information and communications technologies that help citizens and first responders make decisions during complex events.
My current research examines the changing nature of work inside public-safety answering points where telecommunicators are developing ways to effectively integrate information gathered from 911 callers with data collected from a range of remote sensors, IoT devices, and citizens using alternative emergency communication channels (e.g., text-to-911). By examining the emerging work practices of telecommunicators, this research aims to identify sociotechnical requirements for the design of decision-support systems that can enhance public safety in our communities.
I am currently serving as the President of the Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM) Association.
At Texas Tech, I teach undergraduate and graduate courses in the Technical Communication and Rhetoric Program. These courses include user experience research, user experience design, technical writing, and risk communication.
Recent Activities
May 2023
Presented "Collaborative information seeking during a 9-1-1 call surge: A case study" (co-authored with A. Montarnal, E. Petitdemange, J. Rutter, G. Romera Rodriguez, M. Potts, at ISCRAM 2023 in Omaha.
Many thanks to Deepak Khazanchi and his team at UNO for organizing a wonderful ISCRAM conference on its 20th anniversary!
April 2023
Presented recent work on 9-1-1 call taking at the Research Corner event at EENA 2023 in Ljubljana.
March 2023
Presented "How much context do users provide in app reviews? Implications for requirements elicitation" (co-authored with Kenyan Burnham and Hyeong Suk Na) at iConference 2023.
November 2022
Presented "Scenario-Based Training to Disseminate Communication Specialist Expertise" at the 911 Early Adopter Summit in Arlington, TX.
November 2022
Presented “Continuity planning in Public-Safety Answering Points during the COVID-19 pandemic” (co-authored with Andrea Tapia and Sanjana Gautam) at ISCRAM Asia Pacific 2022.
I appreciate the hard work of Rob Power, Thomas Huggins, Raj Prasanna, Mahesh Prakash, Vincent Lemiale and their colleagues at CSIRO and Massey University who organized the virtual conference and edited the conference proceedings.
Summer 2022
Invited to IMT Mines Albi as a visiting researcher.
It's a privilege to work on the “TexAlbi” project with Aurélie Montarnal, Eva Petitdemange, Anne-Marie Barthe-Delanoë, and Frederick Benaben.
May 2022
Re-elected to the ISCRAM Association board of directors.
May 2022
Presented “Opportunities for Multisensor Integration in Public-Safety Answering Points” (co-authored with Michelle Potts) at ISCRAM 2022 in Tarbes.
Many thanks to Hedi Karray and his team at ENIT for organizing a superb ISCRAM conference.
April 2022
Moderated “Research Corner” at EENA 2022 in Marseille.
This was the second Research Corner event that ISCRAM co-organized with our wonderful partners Jerome Paris, Benoit Vivier, and their colleagues at EENA.
March 2022
Published "Influence of social networks and opportunities for social support on evacuation destination decision-making" (co-authored with Hyeong Suk Na) in Safety Science.