Melissa Bator has a Ph.D. in Communication from UC Santa Barbara, a Master of Communication and Information Studies (MCIS) from Rutgers University, and a B.A. in Communication from Northeastern University. Prior to joining the Office of Research, Melissa worked for two different interdisciplinary research centers on campus, the Center for Information Technology & Society (CITS) and the Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies. Working with these two interdisciplinary research centers, Melissa practiced at the boundary of theory and action, facilitating spaces for faculty to develop interdisciplinary research teams, assisting faculty and graduate student efforts to develop meaningful and impactful relationships with global research partners, and creating the infrastructure necessary for faculty and graduate students to be able to catalyze change through their research (i.e., research for action). Her research and publications focus on knowledge sharing and collaboration among professionals, interorganizational communication, and sustainable computing. She has received funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Interaction, and UCSB's The Green Initiative Fund. She helped found and currently advises the Sustainable Technology Repair Initiative at UCSB.
Contact for: humanities, arts, social science, education, and interdisciplinary research; consulting on conceptualizing, developing, and refining proposals for extramural funding; facilitating research team development and building capacity for effective teams; presenting workshops and seminars on various research and proposal writing topics; facilitating interactions between faculty and agency program directors; new faculty orientation; and assistance with long term strategic planning and career mentoring.