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.

Laurent Wang (ABD, UC Santa Barbara) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, his research seeks to understand how online privacy decision-making is shaped by various social, psychological, and technological factors. Another line of his work adopts an ecological lens to understand how disadvantaged groups navigate challenges concerning device disruptions and digital skills gaps in the constantly-shifting technological landscape. He has published in leading journals such as Communication Research, Communication Monographs, New Media & Society, and Journal of Advertising. He has received prestigious research awards such as the James J. Bradac Award and the Steven H. Chaffee Award for Excellence in Research. His research activities have been supported by various external (e.g., the National Science Foundation, Washington Media Scholars Foundation, and the International Communication Association) and internal funding sources (e.g., UCSB’s African and Asian Students in STEM program).

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 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.

Li is a PhD student in the Department of Communication. She received her BA in Journalism from Zhejiang University and MA in Journalism and Communication from Tsinghua University. Her research interests focus on how message-relevant emotions affect individuals’ information processing, attitude formation, and behavioral intentions.

Hannah Overbye-Thompson is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research examines how biases in artificial intelligence shapes human behavior, perception, and technology adoption. Working at the intersection of media effects, human-computer interaction, and decision making, her current research spans three interconnected areas: (1) the diffusion of biased algorithms across groups, (2) human detection and response to algorithmic bias, and (3) the psychological and social mechanisms through which algorithmic systems perpetuate inequality. Collectively, these lines of research forward an understanding of how algorithmic bias operates as a sociotechnical phenomenon, revealing not just when and how bias occurs, but how individuals detect, workaround, and adapt to biased systems in ways that can either perpetuate or challenge existing inequalities.

Sandi Moxley is an M.A and Ph.D. student in the Communication Department at UCSB. She previously completed her undergrad in Communication at UCSB in 6 years ago. Since then, she worked her way up to being the Director of Communication for an online marketing company that researches, develops and markets their own health- and beauty-related products. She is ecstatic to be able to return to academia, which is where she feels that she truly belongs.

Sandi's goal is to one day become a professor. Sandi’s interests lie in mass media studies and their effects on individuals and society. She is also seeking an interdisciplinary emphasis in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences.

Lindsay is an MA/PhD student in the Department of Communication at UCSB. She received her BA in Psychology from Colorado College with a minor in Environmental Policy in 2017. Lindsay's research interests center around motivating people to engage in pro-social behaviors: She is especially interested in designing interventions that encourage people to adopt sustainable practices.

Musa is a graduate student in the Department of Communication at the University of California Santa Barbara, and a researcher in the Media Neuroscience Lab. He is passionate about the development of algorithmic tools that facilitate research in computational social science. In his research, Musa leverages advancements in natural language processing, computer vision, audio signal processing, and functional brain imaging to study the manifestation of morality across societal, behavioral, and neural levels. Musa holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from New York University Shanghai.

Sovannie Len is a graduate student in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She earned a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology at San Jose State University before pivoting to the Communication field. Len examines how race and identity transform in conjunction with a media environment, particularly narrative media. 

Specialization: Media Effects; Race and Culture; Microaggression, Stereotypes, and Discrimination