Rabindra ("Robby") Ratan is an Assistant Professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University's Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media. He is also an affiliated faculty member of the College of Education's program in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology.

Rabindra received his Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and his M.A. and B.A. from Stanford University. His research focuses on the social and psychological implications of media use, with an emphasis on interactive environments that facilitate the use of mediated self-representations (e.g., avatars). He also focuses on online social interaction, online gender, games and learning, games and health decisions, virtual world economies, and carmunication (mediated communication between drivers). Recently, his work includes experiments that utilize video game-based stimuli with psychophysiological measures, as well as analyses of large-scale back-end databases provided by game publishers that are linked to survey responses from players.

His research is directed toward publication as well as the development of new video games, virtual environments, and other technologies that can be used as research tools as well as have a positive impact on society. He is currently involved in a mobile-app startup that focuses on wellness improvement through self-awareness. He also welcomes the opportunity to help students with their own entrepreneurial endeavors.

Personally, Robby is relaxed, analytical, and somewhat loquacious. Outside of class and research, he enjoys racquetball, skateboarding, playing the sax, and spending time with his wife and kiddos.