Rey Junco is an associate professor of education and human computer interaction at Iowa State University and a faculty associate at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Rey applies quantitative methods to analyze the effects of social media on youth psychosocial development, engagement, and learning. His research has focused on discerning better practices for using social technologies to enhance learning outcomes.

Rey has found that technology, specifically social media like Facebook and Twitter, can be used in ways that improve engagement and academic performance. Rey is also interested in examining how social media affect interpersonal relationships, identity development, online discourse, and digital inequalities, and how the use of digital media promotes formal and informal learning.

As part of his ongoing research program, Rey is investigating the ability to use trace data (seemingly irrelevant data collected through natural uses of technology) to provide real-time and unobtrusive prediction of student outcomes. He has recently written about how Minecraft can be used for educational purposes and to support girls' interest in STEM careers. Rey is the author of three books, with the latest Engaging Students Through Social Media: Evidence-Based Practices for Use in Student Affairs focusing on translating interdisciplinary research findings to effective educational practices.

Twitter@reyjunco