Qin Li (李沁)

Welcome! I am a Preparing Future Faculty Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Communication at the University of Missouri. I got my PhD degree in Communication at the Ohio State University in 2024, where I was co-advised by Dr. [Kelly Garrett]{https://comm.osu.edu/people/garrett.258} and Dr. [Robert Bond]{https://comm.osu.edu/people/bond.136}.

My research examines how various communication technologies contribute to misinformation susceptibility, political radicalization, and identity-based participation in media, interpersonal, and social contexts. As a computational social scientist, I use large-scale data (i.e., web and app tracking data, social media data, panel surveys, geographic data) and advanced statistical and computational methods (e.g., network analysis, machine learning models, mathematical and agent-based models) to advance theories and methods in communication research. My research has appeared in top-tier communication journals and multi-disciplinary journals including **Journal of Communication* , Human Communication Research, and PLOS ONE.

In my dissertation, I developed a trust-based theory of factual beliefs and (mis)information sharing in social contexts and designed web-based interactive experiments incorporating behavioral trust games with bots to test my theory. In recognition of my theoretical and methodological contributions, I received the Lynda Lee Kaid Outstanding Dissertation Award at National Communication Association’s Political Communication Division in 2025.

Check out this page or my Google Scholar profile to learn more about my research.

I am Faculty Research Associate of [Political Communication Institute (PCI)]{https://communication.missouri.edu/political-communication-institute} and [The Media and Diversity Center (MDC)]{https://communication.missouri.edu/media-and-diversity-center} at the University of Missouri, as well as student alumnus of Violence, Ideology, and Extremism (VIEW) Working Group and Computational and Statistical Models group (COSMOS) at The Ohio State.

I obtained my M.A. degree in Communication at Washington State University and a B.A. degree in Journalism (with a concentration on Information Science and Technology) at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. Prior to the graduate program, I interned as an investigative journalist at Jiefang Daily—he largest print media in Shanghai—and a data journalist at [Caixin Media]{https://www.caixinglobal.com/}—one of the most influential financial media in China.

You can find my CV here.

I spend my spare time wandering in nature, meditating at yoga studios, getting lost in books, dancing, and sketching. I believe in KINDNESS.