Yixiao Sun

PhD Student
Department of Communication
College of Communication Arts and Sciences
Michigan State University
Email: sunyixi2 [at] msu [dot] edu

I am an incoming PhD student at the Department of Communication, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, Michigan State University, advised by Dr. David M. Markowitz. My research primarily lies at the intersection of computational psycholinguistics and political communication, with a focus on how communicative materials shape societal institutions and influence individual mental states and behaviors.

Methodologically, I specialize in analyzing human behavior through large-scale digital footprint data. I am proficient in Python and highly skilled in R, particularly for applications in statistical modeling, natural language processing, and causal inference.

As a computational psycholinguistic researcher, I aim to push the boundaries of computational methods by developing new frameworks for analyzing complex elements of human communication—such as identity, context, narrative, and rhetoric—and by tracing how these elements reveal the evolving dynamics of people’s psychology and behavior.

My work has been published in leading journals, including the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, International Journal of Business Communication, Chinese Journal of Communication and Communication and the Public. My research has been supported by four internal and external grants, and recognized with two academic honors from the National Communication Association: the Top Paper Award from the Political Communication Division and the Top Student Paper Award from the Human Communication and Technology Division.

Education