The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Center for Public Interest Communications today announced that Yu-Hao Lee, Media Production, Management, and Technology (MPMT) associate professor, has been named the Center’s new research director.

Lee has been a frequent collaborator with the Center’s team, including conducting research on the science of storytelling as part of the Center’s partnership with the UN Agency on Refugees. As the Center’s research director, he’ll lead research partnerships with the Council on Foundations, UpTogether and other emerging projects.

His current research investigates how people respond cognitively to emotionally persuasive information communicated through interactive and immersive media such as digital games, social media, and virtual reality. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the UN Agency on Refugees, IARPA, and the Online News Association to design immersive media experiences that promote better decision-making and engagement.

Earlier this year, Lee was named a 2023 UF Research Foundation Professor, faculty who have a distinguished current record of research and a strong research agenda that is likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields.

He succeeds Interim Research Director Jasmine McNealy, MPMT associate professor, and Annie Neimand, who was the Center’s inaugural director of research and departed in January 2023 for a leadership position at Third Sector.

The Center for Public Interest Communications is designed to study, test and apply the science of strategic communication for social change. The Center helps organizations around the world discover how behavioral, cognitive and social science can unveil insights into how people think, make decisions and behave.

Posted: September 5, 2023
Category: College News
Tagged as: Center for Public Interest Communications, Yu-Hao Lee