Global Social Media Influencer Research Lab

Dr. Louisa Ha (Ph.D. Michigan State University) is Professor of Research Excellence in the School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University, U.S.A. She is currently the Founding Editor-in-Chief of Online Media and Global Communication and the former Editor-in-Chief of Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly. Her research interests are audience research, misinformation, media technology, social media influencers, mobile media, and online advertising.

Dr. Xiaofeng Jia (PhD, University of Miami) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University, U.S.A. Her research focuses on Strategic Communication, Health communication, and advanced quantitative and computational method.

Dr. Ilyoung Ju (PhD, University of Florida) is Assistant Professor in the School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University, U.S.A. His research interests are social media influencers and nostalgic advertising.

Dr. Yanqin Lu (PhD, Indiana University) is an Associate Professor in the School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University, U.S.A. His research interests include political communication, social media studies, and media effects. Dr. Lu is currently serving on the editorial board of Mass Communication & Society, Online Information Review, Chinese Journal of Communication, and The Social Science Journal.

Dr. Mohammad Abuljadail (PhD, Bowling Green State University) is an Associate Professor of Marketing Communication in the Faculty of Communication and Media, King Abdulaziz University, K.S.A. He is currently the Marketing Director of Patents at the Center of Knowledge Economy and Technology Transfer at King Abdulaziz University. He worked in the industry with international companies as marketing manager, as well as marketing consultant. He is a Certified Digital Marketing Professional from the Digital Marketing Institute. His research interests are social media marketing, international advertising, digital marketing, and social network analysis.

Dr. Md Enamul Kabir (PhD, Bowling Green State University) is a Research Associate for the Social Media Listening Center at Clemson University, USA. His research interests include hate speech, racial identity, social media analytics and misinformation.

Dr. Amonia Tolofari (Ph.D., Bowling Green State University) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Media and Communication, University of Southern Mississippi, USA. She is currently in the Strategic Communication and Public Relations program. Her research interests are in feminist considerations in social media influences, black women rise in digital marketing and advertising, and the evolution of feminist movement on social media platforms.

Dr. Yang Yang (PhD, Bowling Green State University) is assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Media, University of Southern Indiana, U.S.A. Her research interests are audience research, consumer behavior and psychology research, social media influencer, social media use, and advertising effect of brand collaboration.

Dr. Xiaoqun Zhang (Ph.D. Bowling Green State University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media Arts at University of North Texas, Texas, USA. He received the first Ph.D. in management science & engineering from Tsinghua University and the second Ph.D. in communication studies from Bowling Green State University. His research interests are media management and economics, media technology and policy, media reputation of corporations, and audience research.

Chinwendu Akalonu (M.A. Bowling Green State University) is a Ph.D. student of Mass Communication at the University of South Carolina. Her research centers on social media, content moderation, emerging technologies, health, and international communication. Her four years of experience in digital media strongly influence her research interests. Chinwendu obtained her master’s degree in media and communication from Bowling Green State University.

Felicity Sena Dogbatse (MA, Bowling Green State University) is currently pursuing a PhD program at the University of Maryland. Her research are feminist studies, social media and advocacy and gender research.

Michael Ofori (MA. Bowling Green State University) is a first-year Ph.D. student at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. His passion lies in Political Communication and cutting-edge new media research. His research delves into media effects studies. He specifically focuses on the art of media framing and its influence on shaping people’s political attitudes.

Cole Highhouse (MA, Bowling Green State University) is an instructor in the School of Journalism and Communication, Shanghai International Studies University, China. His research interests include social media, popular culture and soft power, popular music, and online communities.

Halima Ali (M.A. United State International University-Africa) is a Graduate Student, Pursuing PhD in Media, and Communication at Bowling Green State University. She has a focus in media and women, social media, and crisis communication. She aims to contribute to the advancement of media studies and inspire positive change in Africa and the whole world.

Azade Asadi Damavandi (M.B.A. University of Tehran) a PhD student of Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University. Her emphasis is Media Audiences and Processes. Her research interest include online reviews, audience research, persuasion, leadership, influencers, media technology, and mobile media and applications.

Hyacinth Balediata Bangero (M.A. West Visayas State University, Phillippines) is a PhD student in Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University, a Fulbright Fellow from the Philippines and an Assistant Professor at the University of San Agustin, Iloilo City, Philippines. Her research interests include government and political communication, social media, branding, and marketing/advertising.

Madison Clatt (M.A., Arizona State University) is a Ph.D. student in the School of Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University, U.S.A. Her research interests are interpersonal communication, family units as social media influencers, and persuasion.

Jisha Jacob (M.A. University of Delhi) is currently a Doctoral student in the School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University, U.S.A. Her research interest is in Gender and Media.

Faiswal Kasirye (M.A. International Islamic University, Malaysia) is a PhD student at the School of Media and Communication, Bowling green State university (BGSU). He got his master’s degree at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), in Human Science in Communication specializing in new media and organizational communication. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU). His research interests are in Media effects, Political Communication, Public Relations, and New Media (SNS). He used to be a journalist with the Nation Media Group, the leading media conglomerate in East Africa.

Man Luo (M.A., Murray State University) is a current Ph.D. student in the School of Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University. Her research interests are media studies, audience research, and she also enjoys comparing the differences between Chinese media content and American media content.

Shudipta Sharma (M.Phil., Jahangirnagar University) is a doctoral student in the School of Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University, USA. He is currently on a leave from the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh where he holds an Assistant Professor position at the Department of Communication and Journalism. His research interests include digital politics, artificial intelligence, political microtargeting, activism, media audiences, digital journalism, and media sociology.

Kelsey Zook (M.A. Western Michigan University) is a PhD student at Bowling Green State University. Her past research focus was on virtual organizational communication efficiency and has skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Additionally, She acted as the Personal Relationship Representative for the Graduate College Organization. Her bachelor’s degree was in Organizational Communications with a minor in Management. She is passionate about education, personal development, and volunteering. She has been working to develop skills pertaining to research, data collection, leadership, team building, academic professionalism, job efficiency, and organizational development. She plans to expand and explore multiple research concepts within the realm of online mass communication and AI communication.

Arnab Biswas (MSS, University of Dhaka) is a PhD student in the School of Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University, USA and Assistant Professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Comilla University, Bangladesh. His research interests include artificial intelligence and effective message building, strategic communication, persuasion, and social comparison.

Osama Bahassan (M.A. Emerson College) is a Ph.D. student in Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University. His research interests are social media influencers and persuasion.

John Acquaful is a first-year PhD student in Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University, specializing in the Critical Media and Rhetoric track. He completed his Master of Public Administration degree in 2024 at the same institution. His research focuses on the intersection of social media and Political Communication, particularly examining how influencers and celebrities influence voter behavior. Through his work, he aims to explore the evolving impact of digital platforms on political engagement and decision-making.