J. Nathan Matias
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication

Nathan is an Assistant Professor in the Cornell University Department of Communication, where he leads CAT Lab. He works with social media companies, news organizations, and online communities to test ideas for a flourishing internet and evaluate the social impact of online platforms.
Nathan developed CAT Lab as part of his PhD at the MIT Media Lab and MIT Center for Civic Media. Nathan, who is Guatemalan-American, has a background in tech startups and nonprofits. His research regularly appears in the news, and his writing has appeared in The Atlantic, PBS, the Guardian, and many others. [Image credit: Allison Usavage/Cornell CALS.]
Education
- Doctorate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - 2017
- Master of Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - 2013
- Bachelor of Arts, Elizabethtown College - 2008
- Master's Degree, University of Cambridge - 2008
Courses Taught
- COMM 2450: Communication & Technology
- COMM 7990: Graduate Research
Contact Information
486 Mann Library
Ithaca, NY 14853
nathan.matias [at] cornell.edu
Additional Links
Selected Publications
- Matias, J.N., Wright, L. (2022) Impact Assessment of Human-Algorithm Feedback Loops Just Tech. Social Science Research Council.
- Matias, J.N., Lewis, N. JR, Hope, E. (2021)
Universities Say They Want More Diverse Faculties. So Why Is Academia Still So White?FiveThirtyEight. - Levine, A.S., Matias, J.N. (2021) How to Generate Research Ideas That Impact Society. Inside Higher Ed
- Matias, J. N. (2019). Preventing harassment and increasing group participation through social norms in 2,190 online science discussions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(20)
- Zuckerman, E., Matias, J., Bhargava, T., Bermejo, F., & Ko, A. (2019). Whose Death Matters? A Quantitative Analysis of Media Attention to Deaths of Black Americans in Police Confrontations, 2013–2016. International Journal of Communication. 13:27.
J. Nathan in the news

News
Awards, conference participation, and Halloween pictures!
- Department of Communication

News
Awards Congrats to Nathan Matias, who received the Rise25 Award from the Mozilla Foundation. The award recognizes visionaries reshaping the digital future. Conference Participation Nathan Matias is organizing a panel for the Computer-Supported...
- Department of Communication