Yixiao Sun

M.A. student
Department of Communication
School of Journalism and Communication
Nanjing University

I am currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Communication at Nanjing University (advised by Prof. Cheng-Jun Wang). I am also an active member of the Computational Communication Collaboratory. I will be joining the Department of Communication at Michigan State University for doctoral studies in the Fall 2025.

My research primarily focuses on computational psycholinguistics, using computational methods to examine how communicative materials influence both societal institutions and individual mental states and behaviors. Methodologically, I can analyze human behaviors using large-scale digital footprint data. I excel in Python and take good command of R programming language, basically on mathematical statistics, natural language processing, and causal inference.

My research has been published in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, International Journal of Business Communication, Chinese Journal of Communication and Communication and the Public journals. Four external and internal grants have funded my research. Additionally, I have received two awards from the National Communication Association for my research: the Top Paper Award from the Political Communication Division and the Top Student Paper Award from the Human Communication and Technology Division.

Recently, I have been buried in several intriguing concepts such as meaning in life, agency and communion. My master’s thesis seeks to examine dissenting voting behavior by analyzing over three million tweets from Members of Congress alongside more than one million congressional roll call votes from 2017 to 2023.

Education