Hang Lu

Hang Lu is a science, health, environmental and risk (SHER) communication scholar who primarily examines how the media portray SHER issues, how the public responds to these portrayals, and how to design messages to communicate SHER issues effectively. Specifically, a core focus of Lu's research has been on investigating media portrayals of vulnerable populations (both humans and animals) suffering from health and environmental hazards and the effects of these portrayals on audience members, with a recent concentration on the pro-social role of multiple emotions and new media messages in society. As a secondary focus, Lu has also studied various cognitive, affective, and normative factors as well as socio-demographic variables that motivate individuals to seek, share and process SHER information. Lu has developed his research in multiple contexts, including emerging infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19, Zika virus), climate change, vaccination, genetically modified food, obesity, addiction, mental well-being, emerging technologies, and human-wildlife conflicts.

Lu's research has been published in various peer reviewed journals across disciplines, including Journal of Environmental Psychology, New Media and Society, Risk Analysis, Renewable Energy, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Climatic Change, Public Understanding of Science, Science Communication, Appetite, and Health Communication. Lu's research has received multiple awards from the International Communication Association, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Society for Risk Analysis.

Lu directs the Media and Risk (MaR) lab at the University of Michigan.

Prior to joining the University of Michigan in the fall of 2019, Lu was the Gloria T. and Melvin J. “Jack” Chisum Postdoctoral Fellow in Science of Science Communication at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Lu is accepting new Ph.D. students for the fall of 2024.