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 (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).

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.

Abdullah is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), as well as an Adjunct Professor at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC). Abdullah's research investigates various relational and communicative processes, including stressor management, apology and forgiveness, and relationship history. In the past, his research has focused on how pre-existing relational qualities, such as marital unity or burnout, influence well-being and navigation of stressful times. Currently, his research explores the impact of childhood factors, such as parental favoritism, unresolved hurt, and family environment, on caregiving with siblings for aging parents. Abdullah's research can be found in publishing outlets, including Journal of Communication, Communication Research, and Oxford University Press. At UCSB and SBCC, he also teaches courses like introduction to communication, relational communication, public speaking, and argumentation and debate.

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.

I have worked on a variety of projects at the intersection of online privacy and health information. For my master’s thesis, I conducted an experiment demonstrating how receiving personalized online advertising related to health and fitness could impact one’s self-image and online privacy perceptions. I recently published another study examining how mental health professionals protect their clients’ privacy in telehealth settings. In a book chapter I co-authored on group privacy, we consider the privacy risks posed by identifying vulnerable groups online (e.g., those with certain health conditions) and the collective nature of online privacy management. I have also worked on projects studying digital inequities, which disproportionately affect members of traditionally marginalized groups. I have conducted research examining the impact of disparate access to digital technology on a variety of quality-of-life-related outcomes (e.g., college students’ GPAs, stress, and coping ability). My research has begun to focus on privacy issues surrounding reproductive health information. I recently conducted interviews to understand how young women navigate finding abortion information online and their beliefs about privacy risks and privacy protection strategies. For my dissertation, I am designing an online privacy literacy intervention and testing whether it motivates people to protect their reproductive health information.

Hannah's research and theoretical interests are driven by the goal of understanding how to help people navigate an algorithmically mediated world. Her current research program focuses on how algorithm knowledge and the reinvention of technology can mitigate the negative effects of algorithmically driven bias. Her research often uses quantitative and computational methods to accomplish these goals. 

Prior to coming to UCSB, Hannah was the lab manager for Stanford's Psychophysiology Laboratory, where she worked on projects related to emotion regulation. She received her B.S. from UIUC in 2019, where her research focused on understanding the effects of racially biased fake news and disinformation.

Christopher is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research identifies the communication mechanisms that contribute to adverse relational outcomes for those with social anxiety. The central goal of this research is to understand how interpersonal communication can improve social connection for individuals with social anxiety, offset the consequences of withdrawal behaviors, and decrease feelings of loneliness. His research also focuses on how early experiences of social ostracism impact the present-day well-being and anxiety levels of sexual and gender minority individuals. By constructing and testing theories of social connection, he aims to develop targeted interventions for LGBTQ+ youth to help foster an environment of social safety across online/mediated, educational, and familial contexts. He primarily uses multilevel longitudinal modeling and dyadic interaction analysis to explore these topics.

He received his BA in Communication and Political Science at California Lutheran University and his MA in Communication at San Diego State University. Christopher has taught Introduction to Interpersonal Communication and the Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication at UC Santa Barbara and previously taught Public Speaking at San Diego State University.

Nitzan Navick is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara. With a focus on the transition to fully remote organizations and the use of information and communication technologies, her research examines how employees establish and maintain work/non-work boundaries through the utilization of technological affordances. Nitzan has extensive research experience in other areas as well, covering topics such as workplace cybersexual harassment, the adoption of AI in the legal sector, and concertive control in self-organizing online communities. In addition to her academic pursuits, Nitzan has applied her expertise to real-world problems through consulting for various organizations. She has also presented her research findings at national and international conferences in the fields of Communication and Management.