Position Title
Assistant Professor
- [email protected]
- https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=duu3b-IAAAAJ&hl=en
- https://junwenhu.github.io/
About
Junwen Hu is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Davis. His work has been published in Communication Research and Information, Communication & Society, among other journals. You may also find reports of his research in media outlets like Psychology Today.
He received his Ph.D. In Communication at Michigan State University, where he won a top student paper award at the annual conference of the International Communication Association as the sole author.
Research Focus
Dr. Hu studies media and message designs in relational communication to help people build more effective relationships. He uses online experiments, large-scale content analysis, and multilevel survey data to understand the structure and effect of interpersonal media and messages. Broadly speaking, his work aims to enhance belonging, social integration, and the flow of social resources through effective communication.
- Ph.D., Communication, Michigan State University
- M.A., Journalism and Communication, Nanjing University
- B.A., Advertising, Nanjing University
- Hu, J. M., & Markowitz, D. M. (2026). Re-examining relational pursuit and mate selection in online dating. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 43(8), 2262-2285. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075261429319
- Hu, J. M., & Oh, Y. J. (2026). Trust in algorithms biased appraisal and boosted affect in online dating. Information, Communication & SocietyAdvance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2026.2743730
- Hu, J. M., & Holmstrom, A. J. (2026). Implementing cognitive strategies for interpersonal esteem enhancement, Cognition and Emotion. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2026.2704697