A Brief Biography
Dr. Maurice Emelu is the director of the digital marketing & communication strategy graduate program and an associate professor of communication at the Tim Russert Department of Communication, John Carroll University, Ohio. He leads the digital media track at the John Carroll University communication department and teaches classes on digital media, media theory, brand storytelling through digital content, speech communication, and communication, technology, and society.
His research interest and practices are on stories in digital spaces.He studies how digital media and AI shape human meaning-making, storytelling, ethics, and public understanding. His scholarship integrates six interrelated areas: 1) Digital storytelling and narrative impact in social and networked media environments AI literacy, synthetic media, and algorithmic mediation, with attention to cultural power and communicative consequences. 2) Digital ethics, formation-based models, and theological aesthetics for responsible and human-centered media design. 3) Digital religion and religious communication in contemporary mediated publics. 4) Media framing and platform-driven narratives, including sustained research on mass shooting coverage and victim representation. 5) Computational design and creative innovation, including award-winning prototyping (e.g., EnKrist) and documentary production as research methods. 6) Across these areas, he leads interdisciplinary research through the Emelu Lab, advancing integrative scholarship at the intersection of narrative, technology, ethics, and human-centered design.
As a first-generation US citizen from Nigeria, he brings diverse perspectives to digital storytelling scholarship and provides cross-cultural educational programs through digital media. He has authored seven books and several scholarly articles. Currently, he is working on some significant projects. They include documenting untold stories of minority cultures, building a social technology that replicates faith rituals from ground up, and understanding the subtleties in how broadcast and cable news frame mass shooting stories on their digital platforms. Similarly, he is developing a special digital course on communicating the gospel for faith-based organizations.
He serves on three non-profit boards and is a consultant to many for-profit and non-profit organizations in the United States, Africa, and Europe. Also, he is the founder of Gratia Vobis Ministries, a non-profit that promotes cross-cultural faith communication and actions. Before joining the teaching academia, he worked in the cable industry as a host, an independent executive producer, producer, and co-director of two teaching series and mini-documentaries for EWTN. He continues to produce inspiring and strengthening contents for the same network, many of which are also published through his pastoral website and other social media platforms.
He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Liverpool Hope University, UK, with a focus on digital media and religion; a Post-Graduate degree in Journalism from the International Institute of Journalism; a Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies (Information Technology), Digital Design from Harvard University; a Master of Arts in Communication Management from John Carroll University, USA; and a triple Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (Imo State University, Nigeria), Philosophy, and Theology (Pontifical Urban University, Rome/Seat of Wisdom Major Seminary, Owerri). He is a recipient of many scholalry and professional fellowships and awards.
Charities I Support
Offering food, water, education, and housing to those in need in the most impoverished parts of the world are charities dear to my heart. These are carried out through Gratia Vobis Ministries , Trinity Love Inc., Catholic Churches and nonprofit organizations partners in beneficiary communities.
Education scholarship program for children living in poverty in Africa. This program is aimed at helping children access quality education while also providing them with the necessary supplies they need to properly learn and grow. The charity works closely with local schools in order to ensure that students have everything they need to succeed academically.
Food distributions during festival seasons like Christmas in order to help those who are suffering from hunger and malnutrition get access to nutritious food items. These grains are distributed among the poorest communities around the world.
Financial support for constructing homes for those living below the poverty line, who need shelter. This allows individuals living in extreme poverty access safe and secure housing that can provide them with a sense of security and comfort amidst difficult circumstances.
Furthermore, funding is also provided for building places of worship so that people can practice their faith without fear or judgement while staying connected with their spiritual beliefs even when times are tough.