Written by Elizabeth Schutte

A new cohort of doctoral students starts with the School of Communication this Fall. Kaylin Lane, Tursynay Alikhanova, Yu Liang and Sooyen Park all hail from diverse academic backgrounds and are all undertaking unique research endeavors.

Lane will conduct media-based research focusing on public relations, social media and the entertainment industry, with a specific look at the relationship between media and mental health.

Alikhanova, who originally studied both music and journalism in Kazakhstan, will now investigate the role of music in communication. “The conceptual questions and phenomena that interest me and propel me to pursue a Ph.D. in Communication are pertinent to music as a transcultural phenomenon as well as interracial and intercultural communication,” she said.

Liang’s professional goals lie at the crossroads of communication and health industries. The Rutgers University graduate will now investigate the societal impacts that affect communication technologies and media content, and how social structure shapes attitudes and behaviors related to health.

After studying topics such as human-computer interaction and human communication in Seoul, Park will now investigate how people respond to various forms of communication in a digital environment, as well as how these responses impact their future communication patterns with computers and humans.

“They are a really strong group with a diverse set of interests that reflect the diverse interests of our faculty,” said Associate Professor Rachel Bailey, the School of Communication’s Director of Doctoral Studies.