Chris is the Carolyn S. Chambers Distinguished Professor of Advertising and the director of the Center for Latina/o and Latin American Studies. His research lies at the intersection of globalization, media, and culture. Specifically, his research explores two main themes: the ways in which global media industries organize and re-organize collective identity, and the degree to which marginalized communities can be empowered within the constraints of marketplace dynamics. 

Chris is the author of The Sound of Exclusion: NPR and the Latinx Public and Reinventing the Latino Television Viewer: Language Ideology and Practice, and he is co-editor of Identity: Beyond Tradition and McWorld Neoliberalism. His latest book, Isle of Rum: Havana Club, Culutral Mediation and the Fight for Cuban Authenticity, looks at the role of cultural brokers who sell a manufactured version of Cuba to consumers who are seeking authentic experiences that exist outside the purview of the marketplace. Chris’ research has also appeared in peer-reviewed journals including Consumption, Markets and Culture, International Journal of Communication, and Critical Studies in Media Communication.

Prior to coming to the UO, Chris worked as an assistant professor at St. Louis University. Before conducting his doctoral work, he worked as an advertising executive at several agencies, including Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, TBWA Chiat/Day, and Venebles Bell & Partners. In 2022, Chris was recognized with the university's Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Research Award. In 2018 Chris received the University of Oregon's Faculty Excellence Award, and in 2015 he received the University of Oregon’s Early Career Award in Research Excellence.