Alvin Zhou

Alvin Zhou is an Assistant Professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication. His research centers around computational social science and strategic communication. Specifically, he studies advertising, public relations, audience analytics, and the various ways digital technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, platform design, mobile access, behavioral trace) are changing their industry practices and social implications. A member of the Data Science Initiative (DSI) Steering Committee at the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), he is also affiliated with CLA's School of Statistics, Asian American Studies, and Minnesota Computational Advertising Lab (MCAL).

His work is forthcoming or has appeared in general communication journals (e.g., New Media & Society, Journal of Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, and Mass Communication and Society), field-top journals (e.g., Journal of Public Relations Research, Journal of Advertising, Political Communication, and Management Communication Quarterly), and computer science conference proceedings (e.g., CSCW). His research has received 11 top paper awards from the International Communication Association (ICA), the National Communication Association (NCA), the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), including the 2019 ICA Robert Heath Award, the 2020 NCA PRIDE Article of the Year Award, and the 2024 IPRRC Fullintel Media Insights and Impact Award. He is an editorial board member for five top journals in strategic communication and has edited a special issue on computational strategic communication for Public Relations Review.

Dr. Zhou earned his Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School. Prior to that, he earned an M.A. in Statistics and Data Science from the Wharton School and an M.A. in Strategic Public Relations from the University of Southern California Annenberg School. He graduated from Tsinghua University with dual bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Journalism. At Hubbard, he teaches courses on computational social science and digital media, and mentors students to use insights from data analytics for their journalistic and strategic work.