Haoran “Chris” Chu, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor - Department of Public Relations

Office: 2066A Weimer Phone: (352) 392-0466 Email: chu.h@ufl.edu

Bio

Chu most recently was an assistant professor in the Department of Public Relations at Texas Tech University, as well as an affiliated faculty member in the university’s Climate Science Center.

“Dr. Chu’s research and teaching expertise combined with his academic accomplishments make him an excellent addition to our Department and College,” said Dr. Marcia DiStaso, Public Relations Department Chair.

Chu’s research interests include risk, science, environmental, and health communication. He is interested in understanding the roles of psychological distance and motivated reasoning in people’s response to messages communicating different environmental and health risks.

He has authored or co-authored 18 peer-reviewed articles with seven additional articles currently under peer review. He has presented or co-presented 40 presentations at academic conferences and has won four top paper awards.

His funded grant activity has included research on perceived risks about climate change, psychological distance in risk communication, and the roles of online social networks and social capital in fostering disaster resilience in underprivileged communities.

Areas of Expertise

Health Communication, Media Sociology, Science Communication, STEM Communication, Vaccine and Climate Change Communication

Education

Ph.D., Communication, University at Buffalo, 2019
Master’s, Journalism, Media, and Communication, Cardiff University (Wales, U.K.), 2015
Bachelor’s, City University of Hong Kong

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Courses

Syllabi from the current and three previous semesters:

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