Steven D. Gardiner is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of Missouri, Columbia, with a research specialization in political communication. His scholarly work critically examines the representational and communicative challenges faced by third-party political actors within predominantly two-party electoral systems. His dissertation project, a comparative study of Jamaica and the United States, analyzes media portrayals, voter psychology, ideological framing, and voter perception to better understand how third parties navigate marginalization in political discourse and mass communication environments.

Gardiner's broader research interests include political identity, campaign debates, elections, media effects, campaign rhetoric, political psychology, and intergroup communication. He has presented his work at major disciplinary conferences, including the National Communication Association and the Central States Communication Association. His recent co-authored work on conspiratorial rhetoric and third-parties, and debate effects is currently under review or in press at top-tier journals such as the International Journal of Public Opinion Research, News Research Journal, and Argumentation and Advocacy.

He holds a Master of Science in Government from the University of the West Indies, Mona, where his thesis explored the communication gap between mature politicians and the emerging dominance of social media in Jamaica. He earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science and a minor in Sociology from the same institution and has received numerous academic and cultural awards. Gardiner was awarded the LASPAU-Fulbright Scholarship in 2022 to pursue his doctoral studies in the United States.

In addition to his research, Gardiner is an experienced educator, having taught undergraduate public speaking, political communication, and political science courses at the University of Missouri and the University of the West Indies. He is currently an instructor of record for the Political Communication and Public Speaking courses at the University of Missouri and previously served as an adjunct tutor in courses ranging from International Relations and Political Science to Research Methods and Climate Change & Governance at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

Gardiner also brings a wealth of professional experience, having served as a campaign manager for a third-party candidate in Jamaica, a monitoring and evaluation officer in the health sector, and a resident advisor responsible for student leadership and development. He currently serves as a research associate with the Political Communication Institute at Mizzou.