Austin Ao

Siqiao “Austin” Ao is a PhD candidate in Communication Science and an M.S. candidate in Human Computer Interaction at the University of Maryland. His research examines how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality shape health communication. His scholarship has been recognized with a Top Paper Award at the AEJMC conference.

Austin has been supported by several competitive fellowships, including the Health Policy Research Scholars program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Southern Regional Education Board Doctoral Scholars Program, and the Roothbert Fund Fellowship.

In addition to his academic work, he has more than ten years of professional experience in media production and currently teaches media production courses at Montgomery College in Maryland.