Dr. Child (Ph.D., North Dakota State University) is a professor of communication and Chair of the Department of Communication Studies at UNLV. His research explores interpersonal and mediated communication practices, namely how people regulate private information and make disclose choices on social media. He examines how family members influence one another in relation to privacy socialization practices that become a framework for online engagement and how individuals respond to breakdowns in effective privacy regulation and disclosure practices. He has secondary research expertise in family communication, culture, and diversity and instructional communication effectiveness.  

Dr. Child has an introduction to communication textbook titled, Experience Communication as well as several chapters in edited books. His scholarship appears in journals like the Journal of Family Communication, Western Journal of Communication, Communication Studies, Communication Quarterly, New Media & Society, Communication Education, Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, and Computers in Human Behavior.  Dr. Child teaches courses like communication, uncertainty, and privacy management, communication theory, family communication, communication research methods, interpersonal communication, relational communication, small group communication, and high impact professional speaking. Dr. Child is also the former editor of the Journal of Family Communication and has served a variety of administrative and leadership roles prior to joining the faculty at UNLV.