Ceciley Zhang

Graduate Student
Zhang

Ceciley (She/her/hers) primarily conducts research in the area of Communication and Technology (CAT) and Human-Machine Communication (HMC), with a particular focus on people's negative experience of media, such as digital stress, frustration, and distrust.

Bio

Ceciley (Xinyi) Zhang (B.A., Beijing Normal University; M.A., University of Oklahoma) is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at UCSB.

Driven by her passion for understanding and improving human experiences in the digital age, Ceciley examines digital media both as communication channels and as interactive partners. For her first strand of research interest, she primarily focuses on the complexities of the multimedia environment and tensions inherent in contemporary digital life. For the second strand, she extensively explores human interactions with emergent technology, such as generative AI, personal digital assistant, and robotics. 

Additionally, her background as an international scholar adds a unique dimension to her research. Concentrating on cultural norms of digital media use, her work also encompasses cross-cultural comparisons of people's media patterns. 

Specialization

Media Affordance, Human-Machine Communication

Education

B.A. (2015-2019), Beijing Normal University, Chinese Language and Literature

M.A. (2019-2021), University of Oklahoma, Communication

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Kylie Woodman

Graduate Student
Woodman
Bio

Kylie is a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her fascination with digital technologies, family dynamics, and neural reward processing brought her to work with Dr. Rene Weber in the Media Neuroscience Lab. Kylie is a strong proponent for open science and exploring novel technologies to aid in the research process.

Veronica Wilson

Graduate Student
Wilson

Veronica Wilson's scholarly inquiries predominantly revolve around the psychosocial determinants of well-being, with an intensive focus on how individuals employ communication to navigate stress, regulate emotions, foster resilience, enhance social support and facilitate thriving.

Bio

Veronica critically engages with the intersection of mental health and her research, with a particular focus on how effective communication and strong relationships can enhance overall well-being. Her professional trajectory is fundamentally geared towards conducting in-depth investigations to reinforce relational dynamics, amplify mental well-being, and thus catalyze conditions conducive to holistic thriving.

 

Education

B.A. 2016, Sacramento State University, Interpersonal Communication 

M.A 2020, University of Southern California, Communication Management

Nan Wilkenfeld

Graduate Student
Wilkenfeld

Nan Wilkenfeld explores Human-Machine Communication in both personal and professional contexts, focusing on how interpersonal interactions with technologies shape broader social and organizational trends. Her research examines the dynamics of power, agency, and decision-making in these interactions, offering insights into the evolving role of intelligent systems in everyday life.

Bio

Nan Wilkenfeld is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in Human-Machine Communication (HMC). Her interdisciplinary research explores the complex interactions between humans and emerging technologies, with a focus on agency, power dynamics, and synchrony in human-robot collaboration. Nan’s work bridges interpersonal and organizational communication theories to deepen our understanding of how people navigate and negotiate their relationships with intelligent systems, such as exoskeletons and conversational agents. 

Her published research appears in top-tier journals, including Frontiers in Robotics and AI and Human-Machine Communication, addressing key issues such as authenticity in human-machine relationships and institutional logics in technology adoption. In addition to her research, Nan is passionate about teaching and mentoring the next generation of scholars, guiding students through courses on human behavior and communication in digital contexts. 

She is also the social media manager for the Human Machine Communication Interest Group at ICA. 

Education

M.A. Communication; M.B.A. (2014) University of North Carolina, Charlotte 

Brittany Wheeler

Graduate Student
Wheeler
Bio

Brittany Wheeler is a graduate researcher in the Media Neuroscience Lab in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her current projects include studies of 1) bullying within higher education in online environments, 2) social determinants of online hate speech, and 3) risk factors of cyber-sexual harassment. Her work draws on both quantitative and computational methods to understand these online processes. Brittany's research has appeared in outlets such as Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Journal of Homosexuality, and Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Education

M.S. (2022), Arizona State University, Psychology

B.A. (2017), California State University Fullerton, Psychology

Minghui Wang

Graduate Student
Wang

Minghui’s research lies at the intersection of media psychology and health communication. She also seeks to enrich the conversation around the replicability of communication studies.

Bio

Minghui is a PhD student in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Two questions she seeks to answer are: (1) how communication can bring about positive physical and mental health outcomes; and (2) how people’s perception of health itself evolves as a function of media content. Her research is process-driven and focuses on the psychological mechanism between media exposure and media effects. Prior to joining UCSB, she served as a research assistant at Shenzhen University, where she focused on studying online medical consultation and HIV interventions using social media.

Education

M.A. (2021), University of Southern California, Communication Management

B.A. (2019), Wuhan University, Communication

Laurent Wang

Graduate Student
Wang

Laurent Wang studies communication technology and social inequality. His current research examines how marginalized groups manage their privacy online and navigate reliable access to digital technology.

Bio

Laurent Wang (M.A., UC Santa Barbara) is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, his most current research seeks to understand how socioeconomically and/or demographically marginalized groups manage their privacy in a variety of online contexts, such as social media, and to uncover the underlying mechanisms that motivate successful privacy protection behaviors. Another line of his work aims to advance theoretical understanding of, and real-world solutions to, unstable access to digital technologies such as the internet, computer and mobile devices and its long-term consequences. He has published in leading journals and proceedings such as Psychology of Popular Media, Policy & Internet, Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, and Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW).

Education

B.A. (2021), University of California, Santa Barbara, Communication. 

M.A. (2023), University of California, Santa Barbara, Communication.

Jacova Morris

Student Affairs Manager
Jacova Morris
Bio

Jacova serves as the staff graduate advisor, coordinates TA assignments, organizes course scheduling, and manages the Undergraduate Advising team. Jacova started as the Student Affairs Manager in summer of 2023, but she has been a proud member of the Department of Communication as a graduate student since fall of 2021, finishing her MA in spring of 2023. During her time in graduate school, Jacova focused her research broadly on organizational communication with projects on remote onboarding and anticipatory socialization of college students to the world of work. Prior to becoming a Gaucho, Jacova received her BA in Communication Studies from Azusa Pacific University and worked for several years in student life at Grand Canyon University. When she's not in the office, you can find her playing volleyball at the beach, spending way too much money on coffee at Handlebar, and exploring southern California with her husband, Brian!

Jade Salmon

Graduate Student
Salmon
Bio

Jade is a MA/PhD student in the Department of Communication at UCSB. They received their BAs in Communication and French, as well as a minor in Psychology, from the University of Arizona in 2021. Jade's research interests lie in interpersonal communication, particularly in the context of friendship and damaging behavior in close relationships.

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