Jessica
Zier
Doctoral Student
Hi! I'm a second-year doctoral student in the Media, Technology, and Society program at Northwestern University. I'm the lab manager for the Center of Media Psychology and Social Influence in downtown Chicago
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Based in the subfield of media psychology, my research explores the psychology of persuasion, information seeking, and decision making in the context of computer-mediated communication.
Outside of academia, I enjoy thrifting, scrapbooking, musical theatre, biking by the lake, and eating all sorts of foods!
Background
I was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, but I've had the honor to live, work, and study in ten countries across five continents, exploring digital innovation in various fields and contexts, which has inspired my academic path.
I got my BSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and Sociology from Minerva University, an innovative and global undergraduate program. As part of the second graduating class (ever!) I spent 4 years in 6 countries across the world (USA, South Korea, India, England, Germany, Argentina), experiencing the world as my classroom. I interned at the Ministry of Education in Buenos Aires, was a program manager at Stanford's Pre-Collegiate Summer Program, and completed my capstone project on the Internet as a Catalyst for Social Change.
I completed my M.A as a fully-funded Erasmus Mundus Scholar in the Digital Communication Leadership (DCLead) program. The degree was jointly awarded by Universität Salzburg and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. During my time in Brussels, I interned at Fujitsu, where I was able to participate in the lobbying and negotiations for the AI Act on behalf of the company. My current research now considers the impact of the AI Act (and other EU digital regulations) on how humans communicate.
I'm a second-year doctoral student in the Media, Technology, and Society program at Northwestern University. I'm advised by Dr. Nathan Walter and am a member of the Center of Media Psychology and Social Influence in downtown Chicago.