1. Home
  2. Media Effects Research Lab
  3. People

People

Faculty

S. Shyam Sundar

  • Evan Pugh University Professor
  • James P. Jimirro Professor of Media Effects
  • Co-Director, Media Effects Research Laboratory
  • Director, Penn State Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence

S. Shyam Sundar is the founding director of the Media Effects Research Lab and teaches courses on mass-communication theory, psychology of communication theory and research methodology. His research investigates social and psychological effects of technological elements unique to web-based mass-communication. In particular, his studies investigate the effects of interactivity, navigability, multi-modality and agency in web interfaces upon online users' thoughts, emotions and actions.

Headshot of S. Shyam Sundar

Mary Beth Oliver

  • Donald P. Bellisario Professor of Media Studies / Co-Director of Media Effects Research Laboratory

Mary Beth Oliver is the co-director of the Media Effects Research Lab and teaches courses on media effects, communication research, quantitative research methods and interpersonal communication. She specializes in media and psychology, focusing on both the psychological effects of media, and on viewers' attraction to or enjoyment of media content. Her research includes studies pertaining to media violence, reality-based television programs, gender differences in enjoyment of media entertainment, viewers' responses to melodramas and sad films and media portrayals of racial groups and the effect of such portrayals on viewers' racial attitudes.

Headshot of Mary Beth Oliver

Lee Ahern

  • Associate Professor

Lee Ahern is a faculty affiliate of the Media Effects Research Lab. He teaches introduction to advertising, research methods and media planning. His current research focuses on the description, analysis and ethics of strategic messages, primarily in the context of environmental and health communications. In particular, he has explored psychological effects and cognitive processing implications of different environmental message factors. In an international context, Ahern also studies the roles of culture and media system development on environmental attitudes and behaviors. Ahern's work has been published in Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly and Health Communication. In 2007, Ahern received the Betsy Plank Graduate Student Research Award, which is presented annually at the Public Relations Society of America International Conference. He has presented multiple papers at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) annual conference. He is the current Research Chair for the Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk Division of AEJMC.

Headshot of Lee Ahern

Frank Dardis

  • Professor
  • Interim Head, Department of Advertising/Public Relations

Frank Dardis is a faculty affiliate of the Media Effects Research Lab and teaches courses on strategic communication, advertising and marketing, and advertising / public relations research methods. His research focuses on the psychological and persuasive effects that informational messages have on people. Specifically, he has examined message framing, media framing, advocacy appeals, sponsorship messages, and repeated message exposures within both sociopolitical and marketing / consumer-related contexts. He has investigated message effects regarding sociopolitical topics such as social movement organizations, war protest, environmentalism, capital punishment and political apathy. His consumer-oriented research focuses on the impact of advertising messages on individuals' information processing and brand / corporate attitudes. In addition to regularly presenting his research at major academic conferences, he has published articles in journals such as Mass Communication and Society, International Communication Gazette, Communication Quarterly, Journal of Political Marketing and Journal of Consumer Behavior.

Headshot of Frank Dardis

Homero Gil de Zúñiga

  • Distinguished Professor of Media Effects & AI

Prof. Gil de Zúñiga serves as Professor at Pennsylvania State University, as Distinguished Research Professor at University of Salamanca where he directs the Democracy Research Unit (DRU), and as Senior Research Fellow at Universidad Diego Portales, Chile. His research addresses the influence of new technologies and digital media over people's daily lives, as well as the effect of such use on the overall democratic process. He has published nearly a dozen books/volumes and over 100 JCR peer reviewed journal articles (i.e. Journal of Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Political Communication, Human Communication Research, New Media & Society, Communication Research, etc).

Headshot of Homero Gil de Zúñiga

Michael Schmierbach

  • Professor

Michael Schmierbach is a faculty affiliate of the Media Effects Research Lab and teaches courses on media effects, political communication, quantitative research methods, and video game effects. His research focuses on individuals' perceptions of media and the role of media exposure in shaping those perceptions. Specifically, he has conducted research exploring how enjoyment of video games is influenced by interface and control schemes, multi-player game modes, perceptions of game difficulty, and other game characteristics. In addition, he has studied 3rd-person perceptions as they relate to video games, and information-seeking in regards to news and political coverage. He has presented his research at various academic conferences, and has published articles in several journals, including Mass Communication and Society, Communication Research, Journal of Communication, and Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.

Headshot of Michael Schmierbach

Fuyuan Shen

  • Donald P. Bellisario Professor of Advertising

Fuyuan Shen is a faculty affiliate of the Media Effects Research Lab and teaches courses on media planning, advertising campaigns, strategic communications, and research methods. He conducts research on advertising, health communication, and political communication. His research integrates theories in social psychology, cultural psychology, and communications to explore the effects of media messages. He has previously studied how advertising and health message frames interacted with individual differences in changing attitudes towards brands, issues, and other behavioral, cognitive, and affective responses. He has also conducted research exploring the impact of political advertising, and news framing of social and political issues. He has published numerous articles in journals such as International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, and Mass Communication and Society.

Headshot of Fuyuan Shen

Chris Skurka

  • Associate Professor

Chris Skurka is a faculty affiliate of the Media Effects Research Lab. His research centers on the effects of public communication efforts to promote engagement with health, science, and environmental issues. Topics of interest include climate change communication, anti-tobacco messaging, and communication about the social determinants of health. He is particularly interested in the role of emotion in how audiences respond to such media messages. Often, he studies how media messages can promote political outcomes, such as support for social policies and willingness to engage in political activism. His work can be found in outlets like the Journal of Communication, Science Communication, Social Science & Medicine, and Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Headshot of Chris Skurka

Bu Zhong

  • Professor Emeritus

Bu Zhong, an assistant professor, senior research fellow of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, and faculty affiliate of the Media Effects Research Lab, teaches TV news reporting, news media ethics, international mass communications and world media systems. His research concentrates on decision making, social networking, media ethics and judgment in consuming and producing news and sports information. His work has been published in Journal of Communication, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, Newspaper Research Journal, American Behavioral Scientist and International Journal of Sports Communication. Before he joined the Penn State faculy, he had more than 10 years of work experience at CNN Washington Bureau in D.C., CNN Center in Atlanta, and China Daily in Beijing.

Headshot of Bu Zhong

Student Researchers

Gillian Diebold

Her work investigates how corporate interests shape public understanding of AI and the resulting implications for equity, civic participation and public decision-making.

Keerthana Govindarazan

Her research interests include user experience and the psychological impacts of immersive technology, with a particular focus on Human-AI interaction involving embodied AI agents in immersive environments.

Yilan Guo

She is interested in how these media influence people’s decision-making, enjoyment and appreciation, as well as how people process information and perceive others through these media. She's also interested in people's different patterns of digital or social media use and computational methods.

Xiangruo (Hannah) Huang

Her research interest involves mass communication theory and video game studies, with a focus on video games as complex cultural artifacts that shape media analysis, game communities, fan culture, and gender dynamics in digital interactions.

Eunchae Jang

Jang is interested in exploring psychological and technological factors in the context of human-computer interaction and generated media (i.e., synthetic media).

Yuxuan (Lawrence) Jin

His research interest lies at the intersection of political communication, communication technology, and media psychology, examining people’s psychology and behavior in everyday political communication and interactions with communication technologies.

Hui Min Lee

She is interested in the psychological effects of new media technologies, particularly how affordances of immersive and interactive media influence the ways individuals emotionally and cognitively process information.

Yansheng Liu

Her primary research interests are psychological effects of entertainment media messages and technologies, especially how these media can be used to generate positive outcomes in terms of emotion, cognition, attitude, behavior, and mental well-being.

Alex Paloma

Acknowledging the power narratives have, his research aims to explore the ways media representation and emotions interact, in order to provide information that can be used to create more socially progressive content. In particular, he explores what leads to negative outcomes, such as stigma and prejudice, and how they can be countered by positive outcomes that help foster understanding among various social groups for the betterment of society at large.

Katherine Ryan

Her research interests lie at the intersection of media effects, strategic and health communications.

Jack Waier

His research examines how people engage with narratives in health, news, and digital media technologies, by examining the psychological, moral, and ethical processes that shape persuasion and information use to better understand how and why individuals select different forms of media.

Davis Yadav

Her research interests lie at the intersection of communication technology and psychology, and she is particularly interested in using her research on social media platforms and AI-enabled technology to improve people's mental health and well-being.

Juhyun (Jay) Lee

His research interest is in human-computer interaction. He is interested in building warranted trust; trust built on a system's actual capabilities and limitations.

Qianhui Chen

Her current research interests lie in the intersection of human-computer interaction (HCI), media psychology and interpersonal communication. She aims to understand how intelligent information technology influences people to facilitate diverse meaningful interactions. Empathy is a key theme in her recent research. She studies how to design AI to appropriately "empathize" with people, and how to design AI to help people empathize with one another.

Nan Peng

She is interested in studying misinformation, media effects, and information processing, using mixed methods to explore these topics.

Xuening Hu

She is interested in the media effects of AI on user cognition and behavior across digital communication, with a particular focus on the role of cues and heuristics.

Jess Nickerson

Her research interests center on the intersection of AI, advertising, and consumer well-being. Coming to academia by an unconventional route, she developed these interests over more than a decade working in brand and digital marketing.

Yinglin (Lin) Ou

Lin's research interest lies in the intersection of political communication, media effects and platform governance, with a focus on how political figures use social media to achieve their strategic goals.

Penn State Alumni Associated with Media Effects Research Lab

Jose Aviles

Assistant Professor / Albright College -- Reading, Pennsylvania

Erin Ash

Assistant Professor / Clemson University -- Clemson, South Carolina

Erica Bailey

Assistant Professor / Angelo State University -- San Angelo, Texas

Saraswathi Bellur

Associate Professor / University of Connecticut -- Storrs, Connecticut

Bimal Balakrishnan

Associate Dean of Research, College of Architecture, Art and Design / Mississippi State University -- Starkville, Mississippi

Tayo Banjo

Associate Professor / University of Cincinnati -- Cincinnati, Ohio

Cheng (Chris) Chen

Assistant Professor / Elon University -- Elon, North Carolina

Eugene Cho

Assistant Professor / The College of New Jersey -- Ewing, New Jersey

Jeff Conlin

Assistant Professor / University of Kansas -- Lawrence, Kansas

Olivia Cohen

Assistant Professor of Instruction / Temple University -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Corina Constantin

Head of Marketing Intelligence / The&Partnership -- New York City

Yuki Dou

Associate Professor / Ritsumeikan University -- Kyoto, Japan

Edward Downs

Associate Professor / University of Minnesota-Duluth -- Duluth, Minnesota

Arienne Ferchaud

Assistant Professor / Florida State University -- Tallahassee, Florida

Eun Go

Assistant Professor / Western Illinois University -- Macomb, Illinois

Nokon Heo

Assistant Professor / University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff -- Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Jennifer Hoewe

Assistant Professor / Purdue University -- West Lafayette, Indiana

Yifeng Hu

Associate Professor / The College of New Jersey -- Ewing, New Jersey

Yan Huang

Assistant Professor / University of Houston -- Houston, Texas

Haiyan Jia

Assistant Professor / Lehigh University -- Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Eun Hwa Jung

Assistant Professor / Kookmin University -- Seoul, South Korea

Sriram Kalyanaraman

Professor / University of Florida -- Gainesville, Florida

Hyunjin Kang

Assistant Professor / Nanyang Technological University -- Singapore

Guan-Soon Khoo

Assistant Professor / Roanoke College -- Salem, Virginia.

Hyang-Sook Kim

Assistant Professor / Towson University -- Towson, Maryland

Jinhee Kim

Assistant Professor / Pohang University -- Pohang, South Korea

Jinyoung (Jenny) Kim

User Experience Researcher / Amazon -- Seattle

Youjeong Kim

Associate Professor / Texas State University -- San Marcos, Texas

Keunyeong (Karina) Kim

Assistant Professor / Californa State University -- Dominguez Hills, California

Yoon-Jeon Koh

Vice President / KT -- Seoul, Republic of Korea

Maja Krakowiak

Associate Professor / University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Sushma Kumble

Associate Professor / Towson University -- Towson, Maryland

Sang Yeal Lee

Associate Professor / West Virginia University -- Morgantown, West Virginia

Sangki Lee

Associate Professor / Arkansas Tech University -- Russellville, Arkansas

Ruobing Li

Assistant Professor / Stony Brook University -- Stony Brook, New York

Anthony M. Limperos

Associate Professor / University of Kentucky -- Lexington, Kentucky

Sampada Marathe

User Research Lead / Wayfair -- Boston, Massachusetts

John McGrath

Associate Professor / University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown -- Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Maria D. Molina

Assistant Professor / Michigan State University -- East Lansing, Michigan

Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch

Assistant Professor / University of Connecticut -- Storrs, Connecticut

Jeeyun Oh

Assistant Professor / University of Texas -- Austin, Texas

Srividya Ramasubramanian

Newhouse Professor / Syracuse University -- Syracuse, New York

Meghan Sanders

Associate Professor / Louisiana State University -- Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Marc Seamon

Assistant Professor / Youngstown State University -- Youngstown, Ohio

Drew Shade

Assistant Professor / University of Cincinnati Blue Ash -- Blue Ash, Ohio

Ruosi (Rose) Shao

Brett Sherrick

Assistant Professor / Purdue University -- West Lafayette, Indiana

Carmen Stavrositu

Associate Professor / University of Colorado -- Colorado Springs, Colorado

Mina Tsay-Vogel

Associate Professor / Boston University -- Boston

Michail Vafeiadis

Assistant Professor / Auburn University -- Auburn, Alabama

Thomas Franklin Waddell

Assistant Professor / University of Florida -- Gainesville, Florida

Jinping Wang

Assistant Professor / Chinese University of Hong Kong -- Hong Kong

Ruoxu Wang

Assistant Professor / University of Memphis -- Memphis, Tennessee

Mu Wu

Assistant Professor / California State University -- Los Angeles

Julia Woolley

Employer Transportation Project Specialist / Point2point at Lane Transit District -- Eugene, Oregon

Anli Xiao

Assistant Professor / Texas A&M University -- Corpus Christi, Texas

Qian Xu

Associate Professor / Elon University -- Elon, North Carolina

Chun Yang

Assistant Professor / Louisiana State University -- Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Guolan Yang

Assistant Professor / Oakland University -- Rochester, Michigan

Bo Zhang

User Experience Researcher / Facebook Inc. -- Menlo Park, California

Jiaqi Bao

Assistant Professor / University of South Dakota -- Vermillion, South Dakota

Spencer Bennett

Senior Research Associate / University of Houston -- Houston, Texas

Jin Chen

Assistant Professor / Virginia Commonwealth University -- Richmond, Virginia

Zicheng (Claire) Cheng

Assistant Professor / University of Arizona -- Tucson, Arizona

Sara Erlichman

Assistant Professor / Bradley University -- Peoria, Illinois

Yongnam Jung

Assistant Professor / Soongsil University -- Seoul, South Korea

Sangwook Lee

Assistant Professor / CU Boulder -- Boulder, Colorado

Mengqi (Maggie) Liao

Assistant Professor / University of Georgia -- Athens, Georgia

Yuan Sun

Assistant Professor / University of Florida -- Gainesville, Florida

Ryan Tan

Assistant Professor / University of Nebraska-Lincoln -- Lincoln, Nebraska

Wanying (Lola) Xie

Assistant Professor / Hong Kong Baptist University -- Hong Kong

Hyun (Alicia) Yang

Affiliated Scientist & IRB Member / Emory University -- Atlanta, Georgia

Bingbing Zhang

Assistant Professor / University of Iowa -- Iowa City, Iowa