Maria D. Molina

Maria D. Molina serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at Michigan State University. Her academic role involves teaching and conducting research at the intersection of digital media, health communication, and human-computer interaction. She is based in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building in East Lansing, Michigan.

Her academic credentials include:

• PhD in Mass Communications from Penn State University

Her research program investigates online persuasion through three interconnected lenses:

• Technological affordances for prosocial behavior
• Technological affordances for negative content sharing
• User responses to AI communication tools

Her work spans thematic areas including Computational Communication, Health & Risk Communication, Human Centered Technology Design, and Media Psychology, employing experimental and computational methods to examine digital health interventions, misinformation dynamics, and privacy concerns.

Analysis of Dr. Molina's recent publications (2024-2025) reveals consistent focus on digital persuasion mechanisms across social media behavior, meme-based deception, AI trust dynamics, and app-based motivation. These studies demonstrate methodological diversity through experimental designs and computational analyses, appearing in high-impact journals including New Media & Society and PLoS One.

She actively contributes to Michigan State University's Health and Risk Communication Center, where her research informs public health communication initiatives through digital innovation and evidence-based strategies.