About PhD&D

This webpage has been created to serve as an academic repository for research related to D&D and RPG's in general.

The Mission Statement

PhD&D serves as the academic repository for research in all facets of D&D and RPG's.  This website/journal will promote the game and hobby from an academic perspective as well as explore the game.  

Who are We?

We are a collection of academics who love the game and will share research and ideas about the game and how it can improve different realms of knowledge the game can impact.  Find below the names of academics who have agreed to be part of the PhD&D Community.  

PhD&D Community

Brad Burenheide, PhD
Editor & Founder

Dr. Burenheide created PhD&D in 2018 as a way to enhance the research of the D&D Community.  He is an Associate Professor in the Kansas State University, College of Education and is the coordinator of the Secondary Social Studies program.  His research interests include history education, creative pedagogy, and instructional gaming. 

Seth Licktieg
Advisory/Editorial Board Member

Lifetime gamer from Kansas. Graduated K-State in 2007 in Secondary Ed. Social Studies. Taught 8th grade American history for eight years before becoming a full-time GTA. Finished master's program in 2017 in Civic Education and is currently working on PhD. in Curriculum & Instruction. Working dissertation title and focus is on Metagaming: Cognition in Gaming Systems and Environments.

J. Spencer Clark, PhD
Advisory/Editorial Board Member

Spencer Clark is Associate Professor of Curriculum Studies at Kansas State University. He has served as editor and reviewer for several journals in social studies, curriculum studies, and teacher education.  
His research interests include innovative teaching methods 21st century skills through inquiry, popular culture, and critical geography.
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Darrin Coe, PhD
Advisory/Editorial Board Member

Darrin Coe holds a Ph.D. in General Psychology and has been interested in table-top role-playing games since his days as an undergraduate.  His current interests are in studying the motivations of players, the processes of identity development, and the ethics related to playing table-top role-playing games.  Dr. Coe primarily conducts qualitative research utilizing Grounded Theory or Phenomenology.  He can regularly be found watching professional wrestling or wandering around the nearest ComiCon. ​

David Allen, EdD.  
Advisory/Editorial Board Member
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Christian Lindke
Advisory/Editorial Board Member
​Christian Lindke is a fifth year Doctoral student in Political Science at the University of California, Riverside and the Program Director of the Arsalyn Program of Ludwick Family Foundation.  Christian earned his Master of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing and Market Research at California State Polytechnic, Pomona at their Graduate School of Business. 

Christian's current research interests are political polarization, transmission of affective polarization between Generations, and how parenting interacts with politics. His research projects include examinations of the generational transmission of affective political attachment, the differences in levels of affective polarization between generations, and how parenting style preferences influence preferences for paternalistic governmental policies.

Suzanne Porath, PhD
Advisory/Editorial Board Member

An early resident of Second Life, Suzanne Porath has enjoyed learning and playing in created and virtual worlds for decades.  A former classroom teacher and reading specialist, she is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at Kansas State University. Her research interests focus on teacher development through reflection, collaboration, connectedness - frequently through the use of social media. ​