Faculty Profiles

Kristen Sussman is an audience, technology, and engagement researcher specializing in computational social science (CSS). Sussman's work explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping communication, emotional expression, and engagement in digital environments, both linguistically and affectively. Her work sits at the intersection of computational advertising, social media, and AI-mediated communication (AI-MC), focusing on how language helps us understand people—and how subtle changes in framing and language influence group and audience behavior.

Sussman is an Assistant Professor of Advertising at Texas State University and founder of the Social Media, AI & Persuasion (SMAP) Lab. She also co-leads a research group within TXST’s Digital Media & Everyday Life Lab, collaborates with UT Austin’s Nelson Center for Brand and Demand Analytics on AI ethics initiatives, and serves as a THRC Faculty Fellow and IDEA Center Mentor. Across these roles, her work explores how emerging technologies can help us better understand—and more responsibly influence—human communication and behavior.

Sussman joined Texas State in 2022 and teaches advertising strategy, campaigns, and graduate-level social media courses. She is a two-time nominee for Texas State University’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities and has been nominated for the Mary Alice Shaver Promising Professor Award. Before joining Texas State, she taught at UT Austin and St. Edward’s University.

Before completing her Ph.D., Sussman owned and operated Social Distillery. From 2011-2019, she and her team served nearly 90 organizations, including Facebook (now Meta), Intuit, Khoros, Micro Focus/HPE, H-E-B, Texas Dairy Queen, Chuy’s Restaurants, John Deere, and many others. The agency's strategic use of social media as a source of behavioral and audience insight continues to shape her work as both a researcher and professor.