Dr. Jennifer George-Palilonis is a full professor in Ball State University’s Department of Journalism, and the director of the Center for Emerging Media Design & Development. She holds a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from the Indiana University School of Informatics & Computing. Since 2002, Palilonis has been a media design consultant, both independently and as an affiliate with Garcia Media Group. She has worked on the redesigns of more than 30 newspapers nationwide. She also worked for the Chicago Sun-Times as a news design editor and the Detroit Free Press as a business art director.

Palilonis is also the author of two books,  The Multimedia Journalist (Oxford University Press, 2012) and A Practical Guide to Graphics Reporting (Focal Press, 2006). Her research interests include active reading in mobile environments, multimedia storytelling, the use of multimedia as a teaching and learning tool, blended and online learning, mobile design and development, and information graphics.

In 2012, she was  named the Scripps Howard Journalism & Mass Communication Teacher of the Year; and Ball State presented her with the Outstanding Teaching Award. In 2006, she was named the “Young Alumnus of the Year” by the Ball State University Department of Journalism and “Graduate of the Last Decade” by the Ball State University Alumni Association. Prior to becoming the EMDD director, she was the coordinator for the nationally recognized journalism graphics sequence and director of the Ball State Digital Publishing Studio.