Sijia Yang

Sijia Yang is an Associate Professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research focuses on message effects and persuasion in digital media, particularly in public health and science communication. He employs experimental, computational (e.g., causal machine learning, multimodal analysis), and community-engaged methods to address challenges in health communication interventions.

• Ph.D. in Communication: Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania (2019)
• M.A. in Communication: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2012)
• B.A. in English Language and Literature: Renmin University of China (2010)

His current research explores three key areas: (1) moralization/politicization of health issues and intervention design, (2) causal machine learning for evaluating multimodal messages, and (3) leveraging AI for pro-social messaging in underserved communities. His work bridges computational methods with societal impact, emphasizing ethical considerations and practical applications.

Recent articles highlight his contributions to topics like cannabis warning labels, misinformation correction via TikTok, and AI-driven health chatbots. Despite no explicitly listed awards, his active research portfolio reflects significant scholarly engagement in health communication and digital media studies.

His advising and grants focus on collaborative projects with rural communities and under-resourced populations, though specific grants are not detailed here. No lab or team affiliations are mentioned in the provided texts.