Leanne Knobloch is a professor in the Department of Communication. Her research examines how people communicate during times of transition in their relationships, with an emphasis on the communication of military families across the deployment cycle. Her work has been funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). She is a fellow of the International Communication Association and the International Association for Relationship Research. She also is a University Scholar, an honor that recognizes faculty excellence in research, teaching, and engagement at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Education

• B.A., St. Norbert College, De Pere, Wisconsin, 1996

• M.A., University of Wisconsin at Madison, 1998

• Ph.D., University of Wisconsin at Madison, 2001

• 2020: Fellow, International Communication Association
• 2020: Fellow, International Association for Relationship Research 
• 2018: Charles H. Woolbert Research Award, National Communication Association
• 2016: Alumni Award, Distinguished Achievement in Social Sciences, St. Norbert College
• 2015: University Scholar Award, University of Illinois 
• 2013: Centennial Scholar Award, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois 
• 2012: Golden Anniversary Monograph Award, National Communication Association 
• 2012: Article Award, International Association for Relationship Research 

Research interests:

• interpersonal communication

• health communication

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.