CV
Work Experience
UX Researcher, Innovation Diffusion Lab | Lubbock, Texas (Nov 2023 - present)
Graduate Instructor, Texas Tech College of Media and Communication (Aug 2022 - August 2024)
Asst. Course Director of Public Speaking, Texas Tech College of Media and Communication (Aug 2020 - May 2022)
Resident Advisor, Texas Tech University (Aug 2017 - May 2020)
Warehouse Associate, Amazon (May 2017 - July 2017)
Education
Ph.D. Media and Communication, Texas Tech University, 2025
M.A. Communication Studies, Texas Tech University, 2022
B.A. Communication Studies, Texas Tech University, 2020
Publications
Megan Condis and Ben Alfonsin. “Frostpunk, the Apocalypse, and the ‘Enduring Temptation’ of Ecofascism.” End-Game: Apocalyptic Video Games, Contemporary Society, and Digital Media Culture, edited by Lorenzo DiTommaso et al., De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2024, pp. 29-48.
Ben Alfonsin and Narissra Punyanunt-Carter. “College Students’ Perceptions of Online Learning during the Pandemic.” Higher Education Implications for Teaching and Learning during COVID-19, Rowman & Littlefield, 2022, pp. 23-32.
Conference Presentations
Ben Alfonsin and Christian Chambless. “Diabolical Forces? A Thematic Analysis of the Supernatural in Horror Cinema”. Popular Culture Association. Chicago, Illinois. April 11-14, 2024.
Ben Alfonsin. “DrakeNieR and the Twisting of Transmedia”. National Communication Association, National Harbor, Maryland. November 16-19, 2023.
Ben Alfonsin. “Retro Video Game Hardware and the Evocation of Nostalgia”. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Washington, D.C. August 7-10, 2023.
Ben Alfonsin. “The Use of Online Video Games as a Relational Maintenance Strategy in Long Distance Relationships”. Pop Culture Association, San Antonio, Texas. April 5-8, 2023.
Megan Condis, Bobby Schweizer, and Ben Alfonsin. “The Society of Explorers and Adventurers: Trans-Spatial Narratives at the Disney Theme Parks”. Society for Cinema and Media Studies, Chicago, Illinois. March 31-April 3, 2022.
Academic Positions
Instructor of Record
Communication Theory - Fall 2023
Communication & Popular Culture - Summer 2023
Interpersonal Communication - Spring 2023
Media, Technology, and Society - Fall 2022
Assistant Course Director
Public Speaking - Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Summer 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020
Grants and Fellowships
Bill and Avis Ross Graduate Student Research Award for Mass Communication (Dissertation Grant), Fall 2023.
TTU Graduate School Travel Grant, Summer 2023.
Distinguished Graduate Student Assistantship, Fall 2022.
Helen DeVitt Jones Fellowship, Fall 2022.
Whitacre Graduate Fellowship, Fall 2020.
AT&T Chancellor's Fellowship, Fall 2020.
Other Honors and Awards
Most Valuable Professor Nominee, Fall 2023.
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, Spring 2022.