About

  • I am an Associate Professor at the Department of Interactive Media. I joined the Hong Kong Baptist University in August, 2017 after receiving my Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

    My research interests converge at the intersection of persuasion, health communication, and new communication technology. My current research focuses on how emerging communication technology transforms persuasion mechanisms and how such technology can be used for social good. My research offers implications for developing theory-driven communication strategies to promote social good and also covers significant public health and environmental issues, such as vaccination, mental wellbeing, cancer, and climate change.

    My work has appeared in top-tier journals such as Human Communication Research, Communication Theory, Communication Research, Science Communication, Health Communication, and Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. I have won several international awards, including the Qi Hao Award for Young Scholars in New Media Research from Tsinghua University, China; the Promising Professor Award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), and the Top Paper Award from the International Communication Association (ICA).

    I have secured a research grant awarded by the Hong Kong government's University Grants Committee for my research in digital media and youth. I have also served as an expert advisor on the steering committee of World Health Organization's (WHO) research project on communicating health risks on social media.

  • PUB & Talks

    Teaching

    Hong Kong Baptist University

    • COMD7120 Communication, Information & Digital Media

    • COMD7010 Communication Theory

    • COMM7030 Perspectives on Media and Society

    • COMM7210 Project

    • GAME4045 Digitally Mediated Communication

    • PRAD4036 Social Communication and Advertising

    • PRAD3015 Consumer Perspectives in Public Relations and Advertising

    • PRAD4895 Public Relations & Advertising Honours Project

    • COMM1015 Introduction to Media and Communication

    • ORGC2016 Culture, Society and the Media

    • ORGC3006 Persuasion and Social Influence


    Nanyang Technological University

    • CS4150 Health Communication

    • CS4042 Advanced Research Methods

    Team

    Graduate Students

    • Zixi Li

      Zixi Li, Ph.D. Student

      Zixi Li is a doctoral student in the School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University. Her research interests include persuasion, health and environmental communication, and meta-analysis.

    • Xiaoming Liu

      Xiaoming Liu, Ph.D. Student

      Xiaoming Liu is a doctoral student in the School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University. Her research interests include health communication, media psychology and human-AI interaction.

    • Xiaoyu Xia

      Xiaoyu Xia, M.Phil. Candidate

      Xiaoyu Xia is a Master of Philosophy candidate in School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University. Her research interests include persuasion, and health and environmental communication.

    • Huijun Zhuang

      Huijun Zhuang, M.Phil. Student

      Huijun Zhuang is a Master of Philosophy student in School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University. Her research interests include health communication, human-machine communication, and persuasion.



    Former Advisees

      Hanxiao Kong, Ph.D. student, Graduated 2021

      Position after graduation:
      Post-doctoral fellow, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong


      Youzhen Su, M.Phil. student, Graduated 2020

      Position after graduation:
      Doctoral student, Department of Communication Arts and Science, Pennsylvania State University


      Tsz Hang Chu, M.Phil. student, Graduated 2019

      Position after graduation:
      Doctoral student, Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong

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