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

My research focuses on digital journalism, political communication, technology and global governance, and computational social science. I study how emerging technologies, particularly (Generative) AI and 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 50 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals such as Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Social Media + Society, Journalism, International Journal of Press/Politics, 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 Research Grants Council (RGC) in Hong Kong, a prestigious internationally competitive funding scheme, and the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (PPR) by the Hong Kong SAR Government. [Here are my funded research projects]

Before joining CityUHK in 2024, 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.

Currently, I serve on the editorial boards of four top journals in media and communication, including 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 was a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Communication at University of California, Davis in 2022.

(updated: April 2025)