Adam J. Saffer is currently an associate professor of strategic communication at the University of Minnesota. As a communication network researcher, Saffer takes a sociological approach to questions about how individuals, groups, and organizations use and are influenced by communication networks. His main area of research has gathered primary relational data from international networks to reveal the underlying mechanisms that influence the likelihood of connections forming among NGOs, government agencies, and private firms as they collectively address issues. His more recent work studies how the social ties individuals activate in response to messages or events influence their identities, opinions, and behaviors.