Dr. David L. Morris II is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Emerging Media at the University of South Carolina Aiken. His research sits at the intersection of visual communication, science communication, and emerging technology, with a particular focus on how psychographics shape audience responses to climate change imagery. Using psychophysiological methods and custom-built software tools, his work bridges the gap between technical innovation and critical media analysis.

Dr. Morris holds a Ph.D. in Media Studies from the University of Oregon, where his dissertation examined the role of audience psychographics in interpreting environmental visuals. He has authored ten peer-reviewed journal articles and presented more than thirty papers at national and international conferences, receiving multiple top paper and research awards from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

Before entering academia, Dr. Morris spent a decade working in the information technology sector. This industry experience continues to inform both his teaching and research, especially in his integration of emerging technologies into the classroom and the development of research tools for media analysis.

He earned his M.A. in Journalism from the University of Memphis, where he was named Graduate Student of the Year, and his B.A. in Visual Communication from Wright State University. Prior to joining USC Aiken, he served as a Visiting Instructor at the University of Memphis and a Graduate Teaching Fellow at the University of Oregon.

As a teacher-scholar, Dr. Morris is committed to engaging students in hands-on, interdisciplinary learning while continuing to produce research that advances both theory and practice in the fields of media, communication, and technology.