Welcome! I am Xinzhi Zhang, an Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Media and Communication (COM) at the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK).

My research focuses on digital journalism, political communication, AI policy and regulation, and computational social science. I study how emerging technologies, particularly Generative AI (GenAI) and digital media platforms, are transforming news production and dissemination, as well as how technology-mediated communication influences citizens’ news use, public engagement, and government policymaking. My research profile is on Google Scholar.

I have authored over 40 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals such as Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Social Media + Society, Journalism, Social Science Computer Review, Health Communication, and Digital Journalism, earning top paper awards from the International Communication Association (ICA) and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). [Here is my publication list]

My work has been funded by the General Research Fund (GRF) by the University Grants Committee (UGC), the Hong Kong SAR, a prestigious internationally competitive funding scheme, and the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (PPR) by the then Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office (PICO) of the Hong Kong SAR Government. [Here are my funded research projects]

Previously, I was an Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Journalism and the Department of Interactive Media in the School of Communication at the Hong Kong Baptist University and the founding Programme Director (2019 - 23) of Master of Science (MSc) in AI and Digital Media, a pioneering postgraduate program of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.

I serve on the editorial boards of Human Communication Research, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Digital Journalism and Chinese Journal of Communication.

I obtained Ph.D. in Media and Communication (2013) and an M.A. with Distinction in Communication and New Media (2009) from the Department of Media and Communication at City University of Hong Kong. I have been a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Communication at University of California, Davis in 2022.

[Updated: Jan 2025]