Priyanka Kundu

Priyanka Kundu is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and holds the academic rank of Assistant Professor in Mass Communication and Journalism at the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), currently on study leave. Her research lies at the intersection of politics, technology, and digital media, with a strong focus on the Global South, particularly Bangladesh.

• Doctoral Student, Department of Communication, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)
• Assistant Professor (on study leave), Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP)

Her research explores political elites' use of social media, affective populism, computational propaganda, and AI in journalism. She investigates how digital platforms like Facebook and TikTok are reshaping political engagement and discourse in democratically declining contexts.

Her recent publications span topics including AI in newsrooms, gender-based harassment of journalists, and political expression through hip-hop. These works reflect a consistent engagement with digital media's sociopolitical impact, particularly in South Asia. She has published with Palgrave Macmillan, IGI Global, Pacific Journalism Review, and others.

She received the Top Student Paper Award in the Political Communication Division at the 2024 National Communication Association (NCA) conference for her work on Platform Affective Populism.

• Top Student Paper, Political Communication Division, NCA 2024

Priyanka Kundu actively presents at major international conferences including ICA, APSA, and AEJMC. While on leave from her faculty position, she continues to contribute significantly to scholarly discourse in communication and media studies. She has no formal advisees listed, consistent with her current status as a doctoral candidate.