Renwen (Alice) Zhang

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communications and New Media at the National University of Singapore (NUS), with a joint appointment at The N.1 Institute for Health. At NUS, I direct the SWEET Lab. Prior to joining NUS, I received my PhD in Media, Technology, and Society from Northwestern University, and an M.Phil. in Communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

My research examines the role of digital technologies in mediating and affecting interpersonal communication and emotional well-being. I am keenly interested in understanding how people use digital technologies (eg, social media, AI chatbots, games) to seek social support and cope with stress/loneliness, and the impact of such technologies on their mental and social well-being. I have conducted mixed methods research to examine the processes and effects of technology-mediated interpersonal communication, with a particular emphasis on social support, self-disclosure, and mental health. My recent work focuses on the role of AI in mediating and augmenting interpersonal communication, and the processes and outcomes of human-machine communication.

My work is interdisciplinary and draws on theories and methodologies from communication, psychology, and human-computer interaction. I am dedicated to building bridges across disciplines to better understand human behavior and solve wicked problems, such as healthcare and social injustice. I have worked closely with clinical scientists, computer scientists, and designers on various projects. By integrating qualitative and quantitative methods, I seek to uncover insights that can inform the design of socio-technical systems for more empowering and beneficial human-computer interactions. My work was published in flagship journals across disciplines, such as Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, CHI, CSCW, npj Digital Medicine, and Journal of Medical Internet Research.

————————————————

News

[2024-3] Our review paper about the impact of AI chatbots on mental health is featured by the Associated Press and other mainstream media.

[2024-2] Will serve on the Organizing Committee of CHI 2025.

[2024-1] Multiple papers accepted to CHI 2024 and ICA 2024. Congrats to my students and co-authors!

[2023-12] Visited the Interactive Intelligent Systems Lab at the University of Tokyo and gave an invited talk about AI-mediated supportive communication. Thanks Dr. Koji Yatani and Dr. Chi-Lan Yang for the invitation!

[2023-09] Serve as an Associate Chair for CHI 2024 Health Subcommittee.

[2023-06] Co-organize the Summer Institute in Computational Social Science (SICSS) Singapore.

[2023-03] Co-organize the Digital Well-being Symposium in Singapore.

[2023-01] 5 papers accepted to ICA 2023. Congrats to my students and co-authors!

[2022-11] Receive Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1.

[2022-10] Serve as an Associate Chair for CHI 2023 Health Subcommittee.