Tianjiao (Grace) Wang

​​Grace Wang is an assistant professor in the College of Communication at DePaul University, specializing in Public Relations and Advertising. She earned her Ph.D. in Mass Communication from Washington State University in 2017, following a Master's degree in Advertising from Xiamen University in 2013. Her professional experience spans roles such as copywriter at a regional advertising agency in China and intern reporter at the United Daily News (Taipei) and the China News Agency (Xiamen). 

Grace's research examines message effects in advertising and health communication, with a focus on motivated cognition and the role of emerging technologies in shaping persuasion. She is particularly interested in how motivationally relevant content (e.g., opportunities, threats, food, social cues, anthropomorphic features) and digital technologies can be harnessed for positive outcomes, from improved health literacy and psychological well-being to greater consumer engagement with brands and brand-generated content. Her research is interdisciplinary in scope, drawing from communication, psychology, marketing, and public health, and is unified by a broader goal of advancing theory-driven insights that support more effective and socially responsible communication practices. Her work has been published in top-tier journals such as Journal of Advertising, Health Communication, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journal of Media Psychology, Communication Research, among others. She has received multiple recognitions for her scholarship, including the International Communication Association Information Systems Division Promising Young Scholar Paper (2020) and the Boston University Award for Top Paper about Public Relations and Social and Emerging Media (2023). 

Before joining DePaul, Grace worked at Bradley University, where she taught a variety of courses across the advertising curriculum, including Introduction to Advertising, creative strategy, advertising design & production, digital analytics, research methods, and Issues and Ethics in Advertising. Grace's commitment to teaching excellence has been recognized through multiple awards, including the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Bradley University Caterpillar Inc. Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching, both in 2022.

Outside of academia, she enjoys exploring Chicago with her corgi Milo. ​

Recent Publications:

Wang, T. & Bailey, R.L. (2025). From excitation transfer theory to dynamic deactivation model: Mapping changes in psychophysiological responses following emotional advertising. Journal of Advertising, 54, 673-692. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2025.2534376

Wang, T. & Pavelko, R. (2025). Increasing social support for women via humanizing postpartum depression. Health Communication, 40(4), 668-678. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2361582

Wang, T., Pavelko, R., Ford, H., Barrows, S. Donohue, S. Stapel, M. (2024). Humanizing cancer: The role of anthropomorphism and perceived efficacy in melanoma prevention. Health Marketing Quarterly, 41(4), 476-497. https://doi.org/10.1080/07359683.2024.2422197

Liu, J. & Wang, T. (2024). Divided responses to corporate social advocacy: Explicating the roles of hope and perceived authenticity in shaping online engagement, word of mouth, and purchasing intention. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 18(5), 469-489. https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2024.2372487

Bailey, R. L., Kwon, K., Wang, T. & Park, S.Y. (2024). Eating point-of-view in ASMR videos alters motivational outcomes. Journal of Media Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000443

Wang, T. & Pavelko, R. (2024). Engaging audience on social media: The persuasive impact of fit between humor and regulatory focus in health messages. Health Communication, 39(8), 1479-1490. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2218532

Wang, T. & Bailey, R.L. (2023). Processing peripherally placed advertising: The effect of thematic ad-content congruence and arousing content on the effectiveness of in-video overlay advertising. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 23(3), 203-220. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2023.2217810

Wang, T. & Pavelko, R. (2023). Creating persuasive health messages on social media: Effects of humor and perceived efficacy on health attitudes and intentions. Health Marketing Quarterly, 40(3), 326-346. https://doi.org/10.1080/07359683.2022.2109396

Wang, T. & Bailey, R.K. (2022). Does sequence matter? An investigation into the motivated processing of sequentially coactive messages. Journal of Media Psychology, 35(2), 120-129. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000353

Quan, X. & Wang, T. (2022). Promoting corporate social responsibiility message in COVID-19 advertising: How threat persuasion affects consumer responses to altruistic versus strategic CSR. Journal of Business Research, 148, 315-324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.04.073

Bailey, R.L., Wang, T., Liu, J., Clayton, R.B., Kwon K., Diwanji, V. & Karimkhanashtiyani, F. (2022). Social facilitation in fear appeals creates positive affect but inhibits health eating intentions. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.838471

Bailey, R.L., Wang, T. & Liu, J. (2021). Ambient lighting alters motivational response to advertisements for foods of different energetic value. Motivation and Emotion, 45(5), 574-584. https://doi:10.1007/s11031-021-09891-5

Pavelko, R. & Wang, T. (2021). Love and basketball: Audience response to a professional athlete's mental health proclamation. Health Education Journal, 80(6), 635-647. https://doi 10.1177/00178969211006161