Jin

About

Dr. Yan Jin currently teaches undergraduate Crisis Communication course and graduate Crisis Communication and Strategic Conflict Management, ADPR Theory, and Mass Communication Theory courses. Her primary research programs are in the areas of crisis communication, strategic conflict management, and health risk communication, focusing on the role of emotions and social media in crisis and risk communication theory and application.

View Curriculum Vitae

Education

Ph.D., University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
M.A., University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
B.A., Peking University, Beijing, China

Research Interests and Activities

Dr. Jin’s work serves as a framework for crisis and risk communication in a rapidly evolving media landscape and amidst emotionally charged conflict situations, ranging from organizational crises to disasters and public health emergencies. Strategic communicators facing high-stake threats have an increasing need for evidence-based guidelines for crisis and risk information dissemination to address affected communities’ informational and emotional needs, to ensure safety and welfare of publics and organizations, and ultimately to build community resilience and aid crisis recovery. Dr. Jin’s research programs in crisis communication, conflict management, and health risk communication contribute to the advancement of strategic communication theory and provide insights for public relations practice.

Dr. Jin has authored more than 110 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 40 book chapters. She is the lead-editor of the Routledge books  Advancing Crisis Communication Effectiveness: Integrating Public Relations Scholarship with Practice  (2021) and Social Media and Crisis Communication  (2nd edition) (2022), as well as co-editor of Social Media and Crisis Communication (1st edition) (2017). Dr. Jin was named a Top 2 “Most Productive Scholar” in crisis communication research according to a 2014 refereed article in International Journal of Strategic Communication. She was also named a Top 27 “Most Cited Public Relations Author” according to a 2019 refereed article in  Journal of Public Relations Research,  as well as a Top 6 “Most Published Author” and Top 16 “Most Cited Author”  in Public Relations Review articles according to a 2021 refereed article in Public Relations Review. Recently, she was named a Top 6 “Most Published Author” in social media research in public relations scholarship (2010-2020) according to a 2022 refereed article in Public Relations Review, as well as a Top 5 “Most Influential and Productive Author” in crisis communication research (1980-2022) according to a 2023 Risk Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy article.

Dr. Jin has published in leading journals in the field, including Communication Research, Journal of Applied Communication Research, Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, Public Relations Journal, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, International Journal of Strategic Communication, Corporate Communication: An International Journal, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, Health Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Vaccine, British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, American Journal of Infection Control, Social Marketing Quarterly, and Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Her work has also been published in leading scholarly books, including The Handbook of Crisis Communication, SAGE Handbook of Public Relations, and New Media and Public Relations. 

Teaching Specialties

Dr. Jin has taught PR Research, PR Administration, PR Campaigns, AdPR Health, Crisis Communication, ADPR Theory and Mass Communication Theory. She has developed and teaches the graduate Crisis Communication and Strategic Conflict Management course. Her PR Campaigns class has collaborated with The Home Depot and eBay, while her AdPR Health class has worked on strategic health communication projects with Amgen and Publicis Health. She also served as faculty advisor for Grady PRSSA Chapter’s Bateman Team (2016, 2017 and 2018).

In 2016, Dr. Jin led the Grady@Oxford Summer Study Abroad Program at Oxford University, UK. She has guest-lectured for a number of universities in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

Experience

Dr. Jin serves on the editorial board of  Journal of Public Relations Research,  Public Relations Review, Communication Research, Journal of Communication Management, International Journal of Strategic Communication, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, and  Journal of Public Interest Communications. She also guest-edited special issues for Public Relations Review, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, and Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research. She is an affiliated researcher of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland. She is also a faculty affiliate of the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research (OIBR) at the University of Georgia. As invited fellow, scholar and/or professor, Dr. Jin has visited and conducted international research collaborations at University of Jyväskylä (Finland), Aalto University (Finland), Northumbria University (UK), Università IULM (Italy), and Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) at University of Amsterdam (Netherlands). 

Actively engaged in bridging the gap between academia and industry, Dr. Jin has contributed over 20 articles to professional publications and outlets with a global outreach, such as  PR News, Communication Director,  PR Tactics, and Institute for Public Relations’  Social Science for Social Media Research Center. She has given a seminar talk at the National Conference of State Legislatures, conducted professional workshops at the Public Relations Society of America’s international conferences, and presented at the Public Relations Leadership Summit sponsored by The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. She was a keynote speaker at the 2019 International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference. Dr. Jin serves on the publications board and research committee of the Association for Business Communication. Dr. Jin serves on the publications board and research committee of the Association for Business Communication): She is on the board of directors of the International Public Relation Research Conference (IPRRC) and the Museum of Public Relations.

Dr. Jin is the director and co-founder of Crisis Communication Think Tank (CCTT) at UGA, which aims to advance crisis communication effectiveness through dialogue and collaboration among leading public relations scholars and practitioners on emerging and complex crisis issues. 

Awards and Honors

Dr. Jin received the 2014 Krieghbaum Under-40 Award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). This prestigious national award is given annually by AEJMC to recognize the recipient’s outstanding achievement in research, teaching, and public service. In 2016, Dr. Jin was elected to the Arthur W. Page Society based on her teaching and research distinction in corporate communications. In 2017, Dr. Jin was accepted for placement on the Fulbright Specialist Roster (2017-2020) by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, becoming eligible to be matched with projects designed by international host institutions. In 2019, Dr. Jin received the Kitty O. Locker Outstanding Researcher Award from the Association for Business Communication (ABC), an international award that recognizes excellence in business communication research and outstanding contribution to the business communication discipline.

Dr. Jin has earned numerous top paper awards at leading conferences, including the International Public Relations Research Conference, the International Communication Association, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and the National Communication Association conferences, as well as the European Public Relations Education and Research Association (EUPRERA) Congress. She was named a Page Legacy Scholar in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022 by the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication. 

Serving as principal investigator (PI), Co-PI, co-investigator (CI), or lead researcher, Dr. Jin has contributed to public relations, crisis communication, strategic conflict management, health and risk communication projects funded by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication, The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, C. R. Anderson Research Fund of the Association for Business Communication, and WhatsApp Research Awards for Social Science and Misinformation. 

Dr. Jin was named the Georgia Athletic Association Professor in Grady College in November 2018. She was named the C. Richard Yarbrough Professor in Crisis Communications Leadership in August 2022.