James Cummings

James Cummings completed his doctoral studies in the Department of Communication at Stanford University. He conducts research in human-computer interaction and the psychological processing of media, with areas of focus including multitasking, emotion, motivation, and physiological responses. His most recent work examines patterns, predictors, and effects of media task-switching and the technological factors influencing user presence, persuasion, and empathy in immersive media environments. He has formerly served as co-director of the Communication Research Center, the College of Communication’s hub for media research, and is a research fellow within the Boston University Institute for Health System Innovation & Policy .

Dr. Cummings’ research on mobile computing, games, and virtual reality has been published in the Journal of Communication, Media Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, proceedings of the ACM CHI Conference and the International Society for Presence Researchers, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Occasional Papers series. His professional experience includes consultancy related to virtual reality, social gaming, and media-based behavior change interventions, as well as user experience research at Google X.