Alvin Zhou

Alvin Zhou is an Assistant Professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication. His research centers on computational social science and strategic communication. Specifically, he studies advertising, public relations, audience analytics, and the ways digital technologies—including artificial intelligence, platform design, mobile access, and behavioral trace data—are reshaping industry practices and their broader social implications. With an interdisciplinary research background, he is a core member of the Data Science and AI Hub (DSAI) and holds affiliated roles across the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), including the Center for the Study of Political Psychology, the Minnesota Journalism Center, the School of Statistics, Asian American Studies, and the Minnesota Computational Advertising Lab (MCAL).

His work has appeared in leading general communication journals (e.g., New Media & Society, Journal of Communication, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, and Mass Communication and Society), top field 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 major recognitions 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 and 2025 ICA Robert Heath Awards, the 2020 NCA PRIDE Article of the Year Award, and the 2024 IPRRC Fullintel Media Insights and Impact Award. He serves on the editorial boards of six leading strategic communication journals 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’s Annenberg School. He also holds 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’s Annenberg School. He earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Journalism from Tsinghua University. At Hubbard, he teaches courses on computational social science and digital media and mentors students in applying data-analytic insights to journalistic and strategic communication work.