Mary Junck Research Colloquium | UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media

Welcoming leading scholars to Chapel Hill to present new, interdisciplinary research

For nearly two decades, the Mary Junck Research Colloquium series has enhanced scholarly community and engagement at UNC Hussman by bringing top scholars to the school to discuss their recent and ongoing research with Carolina graduate students, faculty and other scholars.

Adam Saffer of the University of Minnesota gave a Junck Colloquium presentation in spring 2026.

The Junck Colloquium was established in 2007 to nurture an intellectually vibrant climate with both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary shades, by scheduling scholarly presentations on diverse topics. Each academic year, UNC Hussman invites influential scholars and researchers from across the United States to deliver a talk about their latest work.

In addition to the public research talk, Junck Colloquium visits are designed to maximize academic and career benefit for UNC Hussman’s own scholars. Visits typically include opportunities for school faculty and grad students to connect with the Junck speaker in small-group settings. Students with overlapping research interests meet with the guest scholars to discuss and receive feedback on their own work.

2026-27 Guest Scholars

Sept. 25: Andrew Thompson, co-hosted with American Politics Research Group

Andrew Ifedapo Thompson is an assistant professor of political science in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences, with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication at Penn.

Details and registration

Dec. 3: Angèle Christin

Angèle Christin is an associate professor of communication and Richard E. Guggenhime Faculty Scholar at Stanford University. She is a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI.

Details and registration

Feb. 5: Meghan Moran

Meghan Bridgid Moran is a professor in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She holds a joint appointment in the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins.

April 27: Kirsten Eddy, Spring Research Colloquium keynote

Kirsten Eddy is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center. She is a research associate and former postdoctoral research fellow with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford.

About Mary Junck

The Junck Colloquium series is possible thanks to an endowment provided by Mary E. Junck, a leader in the newspaper industry and UNC Hussman master’s graduate. Junck was the longtime chair of Lee Enterprises, which publishes dozens of daily newspapers, along with hundreds of weekly and specialty publications. Lee’s brands span more than 100 markets across 25 states.

Junck previously served as president and then chief executive officer of Lee. Before that, she held leadership positions at other newspapers and media companies, including serving as publisher and CEO of The Baltimore Sun. She was chair of The Associated Press from 2012 to 2017 and in 2018 began managing Warren Buffett’s BH Media Group. She received an honorary doctorate from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2015 and was inducted to the NC Media and Journalism Hall of Fame in 2019.