Max Erdemandi, PhD

I am a quantitative methdologist and social scientist. I study how bias and systematic error introduced by research design, measurement, and analytic choices shape the substantive conclusions drawn from data on human attitudes and behavior. I specialize in measurement and latent variable analysis, including structural equation and mixture models; Monte Carlo simulation and agent-based modeling; and machine learning and computational methods for network and language analysis. I also use scientometrics and curricular data to study how scientific knowledge is produced and disseminated across disciplinary boundaries. I ground this methodological work in the study of information disorders and extreme beliefs, such as mis/disinformation, conspiracy theories, and violent extremism, across mass media, social identity, and risk and crisis contexts. My work has appeared in Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Applied Communication Research, the NIJ Journal, and The Handbook of Fake News, Misinformation, and Disinformation

Currently I am an adjunct instructor and principal researcher at the University of Maryland, and the Vice Chair-Elect of the National Communication Association's Applied Communication Division. Outside the academy, I evaluate large language models as an AI/LLM researcher. I also founded Rubrique Advisory Co., which helps colleges, universities, and mission-driven organizations measure and communicate the success of their high-impact programs such as career education and internships, study abroad, and living and learning communities.