Category: Student Profiles

Email: yanbol2@illinois.edu

Research Interests

My research interests lie at the intersection of computational communication and political communication. Specifically, I am interested in using computational methods to learn about online misinformation and incivility contagion inside and between different countries and the possible factors that foster these processes.

Recent Publications/Presentations

Li, Y., & Su, C. (2022). “Toxidization” of social media discussion: Comparing online incivility expressed about the Russian-Ukraine war in China and the United States. Paper presented at the 73rd ICA annual conference, Toronto. 

Chaikulngamdee Chawannuch, Janaki Riji Nair, Yanbo Li, Yanling Zhao, Cathleen Cusachs, Danilo Martinez, Yangyang Duan, Zige Chen, Xuanqi Ye, & Kelsey Prena. (2022). Learning through gaming: Examining the learning outcomes of EEK! game. Paper presented at 2022 International Conference on Meaningful Play, East Lansing, MI.

Courses Taught

• ADV150 Introduction to Advertising (Fall 2023)

Email: spark110@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Se Il is a doctoral student at the Institute of Communications Research (ICR). Se Il’s interdisciplinary research focuses on persuasive messages in the context of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Metaverse, and Web 3.0. He wants to examine the difference in consumer behavior in a more immersive and intelligent virtual environment. 

Prior to joining ICR, Se Il received his master’s in advertising and bachelor’s in communication, both from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In addition, he worked for the Korean government agency, KOTRA, as a marketing consultant in Chicago and for a blockchain project, WEMIX, as a business development and PR manager in Korea.

Courses Taught

• ADV 250/283: Advertising and Brand Strategy (Fall 22–present)

Awards and Honors

Teachers Ranked as Excellent By Their Students: FA22, *SP23
*Outstanding

What Most People Don’t Know about Me

I am an avid golfer.

Email: wd12@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Weiting Du is a first-year Ph.D. student at the Institute of Communications Research. Weiting’s research interests encompass media effects and risk communication under the context of climate change, with a particular interest in climate inactions. In parallel, Weiting explores how contemporary visual imagery represents the complex interplay between human-environment relationships, collective memories, and broader societal issues. 

Weiting’s past research covers topics such as the social power of photography in China and persuasive health messages. Prior to joining ICR, Weiting earned his master’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University, specializing in science and environmental journalism, and holds a bachelor’s degree in ecological environmental engineering from Chongqing University.
 

Recent Publications/Presentations

Du, W., Sanders-Jackson, A., Neumann, D., & Tan, A. (2022, May 26-30). The effects of applying visual cues in culturally tailored anti-smoking messages for sexual minority women. Presented at the 72nd Annual ICA Conference, Paris, France (virtual session). 

Du, W. (2021, June 19). The Desert Protector: How did an environmental photojournalist trigger a storm of environmental protection in China. Presented at the 35th Annual Visual Communication Conference, Cannon Beach, Oregon, United States.
 

Courses Taught

• JOUR 205 History of American Journalism
   

What Most People Don’t Know about Me

I love Not to Be Reproduced (1937), On Fire (1989), and The Shadow Play (2018).

Email: vp21@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Veranika’s master’s thesis focused on the topic of time perception during media use. Her current research focuses on time perception, message fatigue, and computational approaches to communications research. 

Veranika completed her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and art history at Emory University, and her master’s in advertising at UIUC.

Recent Publications/Presentations

Paltaratskaya, V., Wise, K. Time perception, cognitive load, and memory for short form video applications (SVAs). 73rd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association. Toronto, Canada, in review.

Courses Taught

• ADV 284 Consumer Insights

Awards and Honors

Earl M. Cummings Advertising Education Research Award (Spring 2022)

Email: zixuan26@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Melodie is a doctoral student at the Institute of Communications Research, primarily researching the social and psychological effects of media messages and digital media use. Her specific interests revolve around the interactions between interactive media technologies and individuals’ identity, perceptions of “otherness,” and social relationships, as well as their role in driving social mobilization or polarization. 

Melodie earned her BA and MA degrees in journalism from the University of Missouri. She had industry experience as a journalist and producer, having worked with media organizations including Warner Bros. Discovery, CGTN America, and several others.

Courses Taught

• ADV 284 Consumer Insight

Email: jz150@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Junwei’s research interests are centered around the relations between subjectivity, governmentality, global media network and the network’s interpretive power, which eradicate the boundary between public/private space, human/posthuman and self-governing/self-enslaving. Besides his academic research on communication and media, he is also a cross-disciplinary artist. Junwei received his master’s degree in fine arts from the University of Oregon. Before joining ICR, he explored gardens and vehicles in Japan as media to better understand the condition and method of language/culture.

Courses Taught

• MACS 150: Intro to Digital Media Production 
• ARTD 250: Print-based Media 
• ARTD 251: Time-based Media 
• ARTD 360: Digital Imaging

Related Links

https://junweizhang.com

Email: yewonh2@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Cuteness, aesthetics, affect, game, critical theory, cultural studies, cultural analysis

Recent Publications/Presentations

Puzar, Aljosa and Yewon Hong. “Korean Cuties: Understanding the Performed Winsomeness (Aegyo) of South Korean Women.” Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, vol.19, no. 4, 2018: pp. 333 – 349. 

Hong, Yewon and Dustin Hellberg. “Transient Labor: Past and Present of Young Female White-collar Work Force in South Korea.” The Journal of Human Studies, vol. 42, 2017, pp. 39 – 60. 

“Cultural Geography of Dating in South Korea’s Urban Landscape,” 9th East Asian Regional Conference in Alternative Geography, Daegu, South Korea. 

“The End of Boredom: Introducing Fun in Workspaces in South Korea,” Politics of Boredom, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Awards and Honors

Illinois Distinguished Fellowship, 2023 
Fulbright Graduate Student Program Award, 2023 
Horizon Fund, University of Amsterdam, 2018

What Most People Don’t Know about Me

I’m an early bird and I’m a night owl. So I’m wise and I have worms.

Related Links

https://illinois.academia.edu/YewonHong 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hong-yewon-84a5081a6/

Email: weixiao8@Illinois.edu

Research Interests

Wei Xiao is a Ph.D student in ICR. She is broadly interested in exploring alternative approaches to the reasoning behind sharing dis/misinformation to debunk dis/misinformation or inoculate people against misinformation. Her research also involves technology policy topics, such as data privacy, free expression, and AI governance. While fighting traditional disinformation, Wei is equally dedicated to addressing the potential ramifications inherent in AI-amplified disinformation scenarios. 

Prior to coming to the ICR, Wei received her MA in communication, culture, and technology from Georgetown University and BA in communication and economics from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Courses Taught

• MACS 100

Email: nisapr2@illinois.edu

Research Interests

Nisa Rahman is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Communications Research. Nisa’s research interest lies in emerging technologies and their effect on social behavior in the context of health communication. This exploration takes shape through studies utilizing anthropomorphic conversational agents, i.e., “chatbots” to debunk health misinformation and persuade behavior change, as well as the effect of modality in cognitive processing. Nisa is also interested in the intersections between gender presentations and its influence in Human-AI Communication. 

Prior to joining the ICR, Nisa Rahman received her MS in advertising from the College of Media at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and BA in communication from Purdue University – West Lafayette.

Recent Publications/Presentations

Conference Presentations 
Zhang, J. S., Rahman, N., Su, L. Y.-F., & Wang, Y-C. (2022, August). Examining Food Safety Knowledge: The Roles of Media Attention, Trust, Food Habits/Attitudes, and Demographics. The 72nd Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Detroit, Michigan. 

Liu, W., Rahman, N., & Yao, M. Z. (2022, November). Gender Identity and Influence in Human-Machine Communication: A Mixed-Methods Exploration. Submitted at the 73rd annual conference of the International Communication Association.

Courses Taught

• ADV 393: Advertising & Society (TA, Spring 2022) 
• ADV 281: Advertising Research Methods (TA, Fall 2022 to present)

Awards and Honors

Earl M. Cummings Advertising Education Research Award (Spring 2022)

What Most People Don’t Know about Me

I enjoy watching media from different cultures and languages, thrifting and cooking in my free time.

Email: niniz2@illinois.edu

Research Interests

• Critical studies of communication
• Free labor of women online
• Female digital communities

Courses Taught

MACS 100: Intro to Popular TV & Movies

Academic Roles

Teaching Assistant for MACS 100