Category: Profiles

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Tingyu Chen

Tingyu Chen

Email: tingyuc3@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Tingyu Chen is a Ph.D candidate at the Institute of Communications Research with a focus on cinema and media studies. Her research interests include gender and screen cultures, women’s cinema, Chinese cinema, VFX, globalization and cultural modernity. She is also interested in the application of digital tools in humanities research. One of her current explorations is videographic criticism, through which she explores the different ways in which videographic work could complement and combine with moving image studies.

Recent Publications/Presentations

“The Use of Special Effects and Its Political Implication in Main Melody Blockbusters,” presentation at Society of Cinema and Media Studies 2024 (Boston, MA)

Courses Taught

  • MACS 260 Film Production: Teaching assistant 
  • MACS 150 Introduction to Digital Media Production: Teaching assistant 
  • MACS 101 Introduction to Media: Instructor of record 
  • MACS 100 Introduction to Popular TV & Movies: Teaching assistant

Jiyeon Chang

Jiyeon Chang
Jiyeon Chang

Email: jiyeonc2@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Jiyeon is a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Communications Research. Jiyeon studies media psychology and technology-mediated communication. Her research explores cognitive frameworks to understand perceptions that influence information processing and online behaviors. 

Prior to joining ICR, Jiyeon received her M.A. and B.A. in communication and media from the Ewha Womans University in Korea.

Courses Taught

  • JOUR 101: Interactive Media & You 
  • MACS 100: Intro to Popular TV & Movies

Haochen Ji

Haochen Ji
Haochen Ji

Email: hji10@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Haochen is a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Communication Research. Before joining ICR, she earned her master’s degree in communication from Northwestern University and her bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor in applied statistics from Boston University. Her primary academic interests focus on the impact of emerging technologies on communication, aiming to promote human-centered technology designs and proactively shaping positive digital communication. She is passionate about exploring how technologies like AI, video games, and interactive media influence people’s online behaviors and psychological well-being. She is also highly interested in utilizing mixed methods, especially computational approaches, to investigate specific problems.

Related Links

Kendra Williams

Kendra Williams
Kendra Williams

Email: klw6@illinois.edu

Research Interests

  • Critical Cultural Studies 
  • Black Popular Culture 
  • Television & Film 
  • Race & Media Representation

Recent Publications/Presentations

Williams, K., McKoy, C. D. (2023, November 17). Abbott Elementary: Utilizing Critical Communication Pedagogy, Intercultural Communication, and Social Justice within the Classroom to Decenter Whiteness. National Communication Association, National Harbor, MD. 

Williams, K. (2023, April, 13). If Beale Street Could Talk: Representation, Colorism & Black Womanhood. Southern States Communication Association Conference, Tampa, FL.

Duo Wang

Duo Wang
Duo Wang

Email: dw36@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Duo Wang is a researcher and entrepreneur committed to exploring the convergence of mixed reality and generative AI for the next generation of immersive interaction and 3D storytelling. Research interests include:

  • Virtual/Augmented Reality (VR/AR)
  • Human-AI Communication in Virtual Environments
  • XR+AI Simulation in Healthcare
  • Generative AI in Immersive Media
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Awards and Honors

  • Illinois Distinguished Fellowship

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Gustavo Nery

Gustavo Nery
Gustavo Nery

Email: gd39@illinois.edu

Research Interests

A storyteller and published author from Fortaleza, Brazil, Gustavo Nery is a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Communications Research. He holds a BA in journalism from the University of Fortaleza and an MA in theatre studies from Illinois State University. Prior to his journey as a graduate student, Gustavo had professional experience as a film critic, reporter, and editor for books, magazines, and newspapers. 

His main area of research is television, film, theatre, and media studies. Interests include: 

  • Coming-of-age and teen cinema
  • Queer cinema
  • Brazilian cinema
  • Film theory and criticism
  • Popular music
  • Theater professional recordings
  • Film Biopics
  • Narrative theory

Recent Publications/Presentations

Musical Theater Pro-Shots: Questioning An Entertainment Industry Trend. Presented at the 2024 University Research Symposium at Illinois State University (Spring 2024). 

The “female biopic” conventions and portrayal of Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s film “Spencer” (2021). Presented at the 14th RAW: Research, Art, & Writing Graduate Student Conference, University of Texas at Dallas (virtual session; Winter 2023). 

Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” as a concept album and the usage of “old Hollywood” to promote its themes. Presented at the 2023 University Research Symposium at Illinois State University (Spring 2023).

Courses Taught

  • MACS 100: Intro to Popular TV & Movies

Awards and Honors

  • Mask & Hammer Award, 2024 – Outstanding Dramaturgy (ISU) 
  • Ada Belle Clark Welsh Scholarship, 2023 
  • Best Book Editing – Expocom Nacional, 2018 (Brazil)

What Most People Don’t Know about Me

I took three years of theater classes just for fun!

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Nansong Zhou

Nansong Zhou
Nansong Zhou

Email: nz20@illinois.edu

Research Interests

My research interests encompass the global media industry, China studies, and game studies. Currently, I am focused on two primary research areas. The first area examines the formation of the global video game industry. For instance, I investigate how video games evolved from being perceived as a “digital drug” to becoming a globally dominant “cultural industry” in China. However, my research is not limited to the Chinese context; I am also deeply interested in the contexts of Asia and the Global South. The second research area explores how video games integrate with AI and VR technologies, along with their impacts and potential. I am deeply interested in the dynamic interactions between games, technology, and society.

Recent Publications/Presentations

Publications: 
Zhou, N. (2024). Digital Labor in Free-to-play Games: Player as Commodity and Interaction as Labor in MMOGs. Critical Studies In Media Communication, 41(2), 137–152. 

Zhou, N. (2024). Spiritual Opium and Spiritual Opium War: A Cultural History of Arcade Games and Console Games in 1990s China. Media International Australia. 

Zhou, N. (2021). Parasocial Relationship in the Social Context: Why do Players View a Game Character as Their Child? Game Studies. Volume 21 Issue 2. 

Conferences: 
Zhou, N. (2024, June). From “Digital Drug” to “Cultural Industry”: The Making of a Global Video Game Industry. Research accepted by ICA Games Studies Division 2024, Gold Coast, Australia. 

Zhou, N. (2023, November). The Digital Drug Discourse in the 1990s China: How the Video Game became “Electronic Heroin” from “Spiritual Opium”. Paper accepted by the 109th National Communication Association (NCA 2023) Convention, National Harbor, MD, the United States. Top Student Paper Award, Chinese Communication Association. 

Zhou, N. (2023, July). Chinese Video Game Industry in Post-Cold War Era: How the Video Game became Digital Drug in the 1990s. Research accepted by the Annual Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC 2023), Washington, DC, the United States. Top Student Papers Award (third place), History Division. 

Zhou, N. (2022, November). Labor and Exploitation in MMOGs:How Players’ Labor is Exploited in League of Legends. Paper presented at the 108th National Communication Association (NCA 2022) Convention, New Orleans, the United States. Top Overall Paper Award, Game Studies Division.

Awards and Honors

2024 
Illinois Distinguished Fellowship 
The Graduate College, University of Illinois 

2023 
Top Student Paper Award 
Chinese Communication Association, NCA 2023 Convention 

2023 
Top Student Papers Award 
History Division, AEJMC 2023 Conference 

2023 
MCC Academic Achievement Award 
Department of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University 

2022-2023 
Mitchell Leaska Scholarship 
Department of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University 

2021-2022 
Mitchell Leaska Scholarship 
Department of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University 

2022 
Top Overall Paper Award of Game Studies Division 
Game Studies Division, NCA 108th Annual Convention

What Most People Don’t Know about Me

My goal is to become the best cook among media scholars and the best media scholar among cooks.

Related Links

Gillian Paxton

Gillian Paxton
Gillian Paxton

Email: gpaxton2@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Media Literacy, Scholastic Journalism, Visual Communication, Education

Recent Publications/Presentations

Paxton, G. (2024). The State of Media Literacy Education in Indiana Schools. Common Ground, Bloomington, Indiana. 

Mudavadi, K., Hwang, J., Wang, W., Paxton, G., Ochieng, J., and Grabe, ME. (2024). Third-Person Effects of COVID-19 Social Media Posts. International Communication Association, Health Communication Division, Gold Coast, Australia.

Awards and Honors

Future Journalism Teacher Scholarship – Aug 2021 
Phi Beta Kappa Member 
Ernie Pyle Scholar

What Most People Don’t Know about Me

I have maintained a personal media blog, posting reviews and analysis of music, books, and whatever else strikes my fancy since I was a senior in high school!

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Yujin (Floria) Lee

Yujin (Floria) Lee
Yujin (Floria) Lee

Email: yujinl3@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Yujin’s research interests include virtual reality, artificial intelligence, social media marketing, celebrity endorsement, media usage, and cultural analysis.

She is a doctoral student at the Institute of Communications Research. She completed her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in advertising from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

Recent Publications/Presentations

Lee, Y.*, Fukada, M., Baptiste, P., Du, X., Nelson, M. Hey, You Put Ads in My Netflix: How Audiences Negotiate the Changing Streaming Media Landscape, American Academy of Advertising (AAA), Portland, OR, March 14-17, 2024 

Kim, W. J., Lee, D., Heo, S., Park, S., and Lee, Y. When Lonely Hearts Meet Talkative AI: Exploring AI Interactivity and Social Motivation. American Academy of Advertising (AAA), Portland, OR, March 14-17, 2024 

Ham, C., Ju, I., Heo, S., and Lee, Y. Examining the Change-of-Meaning Effect: Sequential Persuasion Knowledge Structure in Coping Mechanism with Online Behavioral Advertising, Annual conference at AEJMC, Washington D.C., August 7-10,2023

Courses Taught

  • ADV 150: Introduction to Advertising 
  • ADV 281: Advertising Research Method 
  • ADV 360: Innovations in Advertising

Awards and Honors

Earl Cummings Advertising Research Award, 2023 
List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students: FA 2022, SP 2024 
American Academy of Advertising’s Graduate Students Travel Scholarship, 2024

Related Links

Q&A with Rosie Powers

Rosie Powers

Get to know some of our College of Media alumni. Rosie Powers (BS ‘12, journalism) is a self-employed consultant. Powers also participated in a Media Career Night alumni panel on “Nonprofits” in Spring 2022. Watch a recording of the session here.

Rosie Powers

How did the College of Media prepare you for your future?
The college had great courses that addressed the changing media landscape. Pairing that with traditional journalism skills of writing and copy editing felt like a good mix. I took a multimedia journalism course at the beginning of social media, and the idea of being a multimedia reporter was new and cutting-edge. You’d be someone reporting live on the field rather than solely writing in the newsroom, and it helped me think of myself as more than a writer. The College of Media also provided a well-connected alumni network, so it was easier for students like me to apply for internships and jobs after we were introduced to those who came before us.

During and right after college, how did you go about getting internships and jobs?
I applied everywhere in Chicago because I was an overachiever, but between my freshman and sophomore years, I had an internship at Lake County Journal, where I wrote a couple of stories a week. The following summer, I interned as a digital producer at WGN, then I interned at NBC, and later The Washington Post. I knew I wanted to do digital production, and even though my background was in newspapers, I applied to television stations. I realized early on that I could re-envision my skill set, so my advice would be don’t be afraid to apply for everything, even if you fear not having the skill set or experience required. Just try it because I think places are eager to teach people, and I had great experiences with all my internships.

What has your career path looked like since graduation?
I graduated from the College of Media in 2012 as a news-editorial journalism major with a minor in environmental science. After graduation I had an internship with The Washington Post; then I moved on to work for the Chicago Sun-Times, specifically for Oak Park and River Forest—those suburban publications—for a few years, and then I worked as a digital producer at ABC 7 Chicago. I liked my journalism career, and I’m proud of it, but in my mid-20s, I was ready for a change. I realized I could take my writing and storytelling skills from journalism and apply them to help nonprofits and further causes that are important to me, and it’s been about eight or nine years now down this new path. I totally pivoted my career.

What does your career look like now after this pivotal moment?
I work for myself, so I’m like a self-employed contractor. I used to work full-time, but I discovered advertising and branding agencies specific to the nonprofit space. I thought that was cool and I could be a consultant; now, I work with three different consultancies, and Mission Minded, a branding agency, is one of them. I do brand and website strategy for them while working with Column & Row, a consultancy that does web strategy and SEO with nonprofits and foundations, and I’m a consultant with Tiny Windows Consulting in Chicago, doing digital communications work. I do different types of strategy depending on who I’m working with, whether it’s brand, web, or digital communications.

What are you most proud of?
My career transition. I thought during high school that I would be in journalism forever and also because of my parents—my dad worked the same job for 30 years. When I was growing up, I thought, “I’m going to pick my job, and the path is always the same.” I was proud of my journalism career; it was rewarding, but I felt I achieved what I wanted there and wanted what was next. That pivot was freeing, exciting, and scary because I’d never thought about doing anything else professionally. But I knew I wanted something else and went for that, even though it was terrifying, having to relearn how to do other things. I think there’s a full circle—maybe this is what I wanted to do all the time but didn’t know it existed. I was able to do that, do journalism for a few years, and get a great experience.

What’s one piece of advice you would give students?
College is four of the greatest years, and—this is stereotypical to say—it goes by fast, especially after freshman year. Remember to enjoy it, even with all the stress about internships and questioning what you’re doing over the summer. Remember to try new things to broaden your horizons and envision your skill set. Don’t put yourself in one box because you’re not going to know what you want to do in 10 years or 15; for me, it totally changed, and there’s no way you can know that when you’re a freshman.

—Interview by Chloe Barbarise, New Voices Intern

DEV College of Media
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