His primary research interest is in the intersection of new communication technologies and politics. As people increasingly learn about their communities and countries via new, emerging information sources, long established political patterns and practices are changing. Shaker's research has been published in many journals including Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Communication, and the Journal of Communication. In turn, this work has been featured in popular publications like the Yomiuri Shimbun, Boston Globe, Wired, Politico, and The Atlantic. Before joining the faculty at Portland State, he received his Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and was a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Politics at Princeton University.