Mingxuan LIU 劉銘璇

Assistant Professor

Academic Qualifications

  • PhD (Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California)
  • MA (Department of Communication, University of California, Davis)
  • BSS (Department of Communication, University of Macau)

Careers

University of Macau
08/2024—present Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication

Northwestern University
08/2023 – 08/2024 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications

Administrative Roles

  • Non-residential Fellow, Chao Kuang Piu College, UM

Committee Roles

  • Member, Selection Panel for Master of Science in Data Science specialized in Smart Governance, FSS, UM
  • Member, Research Committee, Department of Communication, FSS, UM
  • Member, MA Student Admission Committee, Department of Communication, FSS, UM
  • Member, Honours College Alumni Association, UM

Editorship

Editorial Board Member

Research areas

Information and Communication Technology, Entertainment Media, Media Psychology, Digital Journalism, Computational Social Science

Journal Articles

Tang, J., Liu., M., Williams, D. (2026). Sticking to your guns: Testing competing effects of social identity and competition motivation in an online multiplayer game. Journal of Media Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000510 (5-Year IF: 2.3)

Liu., M., Choi, J.R., Malthouse., E., DeGaris, L. (2026). Beyond Exposure: Leveraging Platform-Dependent Publisher Channels to Build Reader Habits and Reduce Subscriber Churn in Local News. Journalism Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2026.2636056 (5-Year IF: 3.4)

Tang, J., Liu., M., Bisberg, A.,  Kim S., Williams, D. (2026). Intergroup contact, contact heterogeneity, and cross-group friendship: Evidence from a global prosocial mobile game. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmag001 (5-Year IF: 7.0)

Yin, S., Huang, S., Xue, P., Xu, Z., Lian, Z., Ye, C., Ma, S., Liu, M., … & Li, C. (2025). Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) usage guidelines for scholarly publishing: a cross-sectional study of medical journals. BMC Medicine, 23, 77. (5-Year IF: 8.8)

Liu, M., Tang, L., Williams, D. (2025). Sympathy for the Devil: Serial Mediation Models for Toxicity, Community and Retention. Media and Communication. (5-Year IF: 3.5)

Liu, M., Sun, Q., Williams, D. (2024). With Great Power Comes Great Accountability: Network Positions, Victimization, Perpetration, and Victim-Perpetrator Overlap in an Online Multiplayer Game. New Media & Society. (5-Year IF: 7.244)

Williams, D., Liu, M., Choi, S., Bowman, N., Shaikh, S. (2024). Playing Through The Pandemic: Gaming Usage as a Buffer During COVID-19. Games and Culture, 15554120241236531. (5-Year IF: 2.6)

Choi, S., Liu, M., Sun, J., Huang, K. (2023). Who benefits from directed communication? Communication directionality, network structures, and perceived social capital in an MMOG. Computers in Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107825 (5-Year IF: 8.582)

Kim, S. S., Liu, M., Qiao, A., & Miller, L. C. (2022). “I want to be Alone, but I don’t want to be lonely”: Uncertainty management regarding social situations among college students with social anxiety disorder. Health Communication, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1912890 (5-Year IF: 3.585)

Liu, M., Yegiyan, N., Lai, M. (2022). Appetitive food, aversive warning: Interaction effects of visual and verbal cues on psychophysiological and attitudinal responses to food PSAs. Media Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2022.2082982 (5-Year IF: 5.497)

Liu, M., Choi, S., Kim, D. O., & Williams, D. (2021). Connecting in-game performance, need satisfaction, and psychological well-being: A comparison of older and younger players in World of Tanks. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211062545 (5-Year IF: 7.244)

Wang, L., Christensen, J. L., Smith, B. J., Gillig, T. K., Jeong, D. C., Liu, M., … & Miller, L. C. (2021). User-Agent bond in generalizable environments: Long-term risk-reduction via nudged virtual choices. Frontiers in Psychology, 3354. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.695389 (5-Year IF: 4.214)

Zhang, J., Calabrese, C., Ding, J., Liu, M., & Zhang, B. (2018). Advantages and challenges in using mobile apps for field experiments: A systematic review and a case study. Mobile Media & Communication, 6(2), 179-196. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157917725550 (5-Year IF: 4.107)

Chang, W., Chen, Z., Tian, L., Liu, M., Ma, L., & Li, W. et al. (2014). Studying the indiscriminate media coverage of celebrity suicide and the potential influence of prevention in China. Chinese Journal of Health Education.

Book Chapter

Choi, S., Liu, M., & Williams, D. (2025). Relationship Formation and Maintenance in and through Video Games. J. Nussbaum & M. Schmierbach (eds.), The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Oxford University Press.

Professional Affiliations

International Communication Association

National Communication Association

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

American Marketing Association

Recent Honors

2026                 Top Paper Award, ICA Annual Conference

2025                Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad: Category B, awarded to 1 of 50 recipients worldwide each year, Ministry of Education, China

2024                Top Paper Award, NCA Annual Conference

2023                Publication Accelerator Grant, Institute for Humane Studies, USA

2022                Kaleigh Finnie Memorial Scholarship, University of Southern California

2022                Annenberg Symposium Top Paper Award, University of Southern California

2021                Top Student Paper Award, NCA Annual Conference

2021                Annenberg Symposium Award, University of Southern California

2018                Annenberg Fellowship, University of Southern California

2016                Presidential Fellowship, University of California

Courses Taught

English News Writing; Advanced English News Writing; Introduction to News and Journalism; Understanding Social Science Research; Quantitative Research Methods in Communication

Contact Details

Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS)
Humanities & Social Sciences Building (E21B), 2057
Tel: 8822 8817
Email: mxliu@um.edu.mo