Professor Kitchens’ research largely focuses on how social media and other online platforms influence information consumption behaviors, including the quality, diversity, and polarization of information users consume. He is also interested in how information from online platforms can be utilized to benefit societal and public health outcomes.  

Before pursuing an academic career, Professor Kitchens worked for five years in the Risk Advisory Services practice at Ernst & Young LLP, serving large and small clients in many industries, including transportation, retail, healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing.