Monica Zhan

Dr. Monica Zhan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Texas at Arlington. She holds a PhD in Communication from the University of Maryland College Park and an MA in Public Relations from the University of Miami. Her research focuses on organizational communication, employee communication, corporate communication, crisis communication, and social media. She teaches courses including Organizational Communication, Managerial Communication, and Communication Research Methods. Dr. Zhan has received awards such as the Outstanding Article from the International Journal of Business Communication (2024) and the Top Faculty Paper from the International Communication Association (2020).

Her research interests emphasize understanding how cultural diversity impacts team performance, the role of narrative persuasion in fostering inclusion, and crisis communication strategies in social media contexts. She has secured grants totaling over $900,000, including a NASA-funded project on Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines and initiatives to improve experiences of underrepresented minorities in organizations. Dr. Zhan has advised numerous Master’s students and contributed to professional development programs like the Quality Enhancement Plan’s Teamwork Handbook.

• Educations: PhD (2018, UMD), MA (2012, UMiami), BA (2010, Zhejiang University)
• Professional Memberships: International Communication Association (2014–present), National Communication Association (2014–present)

Her recent work includes studies on TikTok disaster communication during the Maui wildfire and DEI training through narrative inoculation. She has also explored teamwork perceptions in engineering students and the effectiveness of cooperative learning interventions.