About

I am a professor in the Department of Communication at Northern Illinois University and serve as Director of Graduate Studies for its M.A. program. I am also affiliated with the Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy, the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability, and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

My research examines how communication strategies shape public engagement with science, how scientists and other communicators work across media, and how people interpret risk, environmental, health, and organizational messages. Recent publications also examine AI-generated communication, credibility, and trust.

As a 2026–2027 SNF Agora Institute Visiting Fellow at Johns Hopkins University, I am developing a framework for building common ground in science communication.

I earned a Ph.D. in Media and Information Studies and an M.A. in Advertising from Michigan State University, and a B.A. in Advertising from South China University of Technology.

Recent highlights

• 2026 · Science Communication in the Age of AI. The published special issue, guest-edited with Haoran Chu, includes our editorial on agency and authority in science communication.

• 2026–2027 · SNF Agora Institute Visiting Fellow. At Johns Hopkins University, I am developing a framework for building common ground in science communication. Fellowship announcement.

• 2026–2028 · IMLS grant. I am a co-PI on a $618,000 project, Library-Led Student Advising Support Using Specialized AI Agents Grounded in University Records Archives.

• 2026–2027 · Page Center Legacy Scholar Grant. As PI, I am studying moral typecasting and stakeholder evaluations of corporate course corrections in politicized contexts ($4,120).

• 2026–2027 · Huskies BELONG. I am a co-PI on an Illinois Community College Board grant ($199,808) supporting a STEAM-focused college bridge program for students with disabilities. Program information.