Contact Information
702 S Wright Street
Urbana IL 61801
Research Areas
Biography
I am a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois. I joined the department in 2002 after earning my Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Research Interests
interpersonal communication
health communication
Research Description
I study how people communicate within close relationships. More specifically, I examine how people's communication both shapes and reflects the ways they think about their relationships. I have focused on times of transition because individuals are more aware of their relationships when those relationships are in flux.
My most recent work focuses on (a) how military families communicate after being reunited following deployment, and (b) how romantic couples communicate following a depression diagnosis. Both lines of research provide important insights into how to help people have more satisfying relationships.
Education
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin at Madison, 2001
B.A., St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin, 1996
M.A., University of Wisconsin at Madison, 1998
Awards and Honors
Berscheid-Hatfield Award for Distinguished Mid-Career Achievement, International Association for Relationship Research (2024)
Inaugural Outstanding Article Award, Communication and Military Division, National Communication Association (2021)
Fellow, International Communication Association (2020)
Fellow, International Association for Relationship Research (2020)
Charles H. Woolbert Research Award, National Communication Association (2018)
Alumni Award, Distinguished Achievement in Social Sciences, St. Norbert College (2016)
University Scholar Award, University of Illinois (2015)
Centennial Scholar Award, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois (2013)
Golden Anniversary Monograph Award, National Communication Association (2012)
Article Award, International Association for Relationship Research (2012)
Franklin H. Knower Article Award, Interpersonal Communication Division, National Communication Association (2011)
Dean's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois (2009)
Gerald R. Miller Award for Early Career Achievement, International Association for Relationship Research (2008)
Early Career Award, Interpersonal Communication Division, National Communication Association (2008)
Distinguished Article Award, Communication and Social Cognition Division, National Communication Association (2007)
Dissertation Award, Interpersonal Communication Division, International Communication Association (2002)
Courses Taught
CMN 230: Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
CMN 231: Communication and Conflict
CMN 437: Communication in Personal Relationships
CMN 529: Communication and Relationship Development
CMN 529: Measurement in Communication Research
CMN 529: Communication and Uncertainty in Relationships
Additional Campus Affiliations
Associate Head, Communication
Professor, Communication
Professor, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Affiliate, Center for Social & Behavioral Science
External Links
Recent Publications
Knobloch, L. K., & Pool, K. (2025). Interpersonal dynamics of traumatic brain injury within romantic relationships described in online forums. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 42(3), 901-921. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075241257457
Knobloch, L. K., & Owens, J. L. (2024). Moral Injury Among First Responders: Experience, Effects, and Advice in Their Own Words. Psychological Services, 21(3), 500-508. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000838
Knobloch, L. K., & Abendschein, B. (2024). Traumatic brain injury and relationship distress during military deployment and reunion. Family Relations, 73(1), 424-440. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12849
Knobloch-Fedders, L. M., Quirk, K., & Knobloch, L. K. (2024). Relational uncertainty and dyadic synchrony within the interaction of couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 41(4), 867-891. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075231208035
MacDermid Wadsworth, S. M., Topp, D., Lester, P., Stander, V., Christ, S. L., Whiteman, S., & Knobloch, L. (2024). Long-term consequences of mothers’ and fathers’ wartime deployments: Protocol for a two-wave panel study. PloS one, 19(3), 1-22. Article e0295007. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295007