Biography
Kristen L. Sussman, Ph.D. (University of Texas at Austin), is an advertising scholar and computational social scientist whose research examines how artificial intelligence reshapes persuasion, emotion, and engagement in digital environments. Her work sits at the intersection of advertising, social media, and AI-mediated communication (AI-MC), with a particular focus on how language, framing, and affect influence behavioral responses.
Dr. Sussman’s research integrates computational methods (e.g., natural language processing, computational linguistics, machine learning, network analysis) with theory from advertising, psychology, and communication to study real-world social media and advertising systems. Her work contributes to emerging scholarship on AI-MC, moral and emotional framing, and digital engagement, and has been published in leading journals and conference proceedings across advertising, marketing, computing, and health communication.
She recently launched the Social Media, AI, and Persuasion Lab, where she leads interdisciplinary research on the social and behavioral implications of generative AI in advertising, emergency communication, and public-facing information environments.
Before entering academia full-time, Dr. Sussman founded and led Social Distillery, one of Austin’s first social media marketing agencies. There, she used social media data to develop strategic, data-driven programs for national and global organizations, including Facebook (now Meta), H-E-B, John Deere, Dairy Queen, and Chuy’s Restaurants, as well as global enterprise technology firms. Dr. Sussman’s industry experience continues to inform her work as a researcher and professor.
Dr. Sussman joined Texas State University in 2022, where she teaches Advertising Strategic Planning (MC4317), Advertising Campaigns (MC4307), and graduate-level Social Media Campaigns. She is a two-time nominee for Texas State University’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities, recognizing her contributions to research and scholarship.
Dr. Sussman previously taught in the Stan Richards School of Advertising at the University of Texas at Austin and the Bill Munday School of Business at St. Edward’s University, and currently collaborates with the Nelson Center for Brand and Demand Analytics on initiatives examining AI ethics and the responsible integration of artificial intelligence into advertising and brand practice.
Dr. Sussman’s research integrates computational methods (e.g., natural language processing, computational linguistics, machine learning, network analysis) with theory from advertising, psychology, and communication to study real-world social media and advertising systems. Her work contributes to emerging scholarship on AI-MC, moral and emotional framing, and digital engagement, and has been published in leading journals and conference proceedings across advertising, marketing, computing, and health communication.
She recently launched the Social Media, AI, and Persuasion Lab, where she leads interdisciplinary research on the social and behavioral implications of generative AI in advertising, emergency communication, and public-facing information environments.
Before entering academia full-time, Dr. Sussman founded and led Social Distillery, one of Austin’s first social media marketing agencies. There, she used social media data to develop strategic, data-driven programs for national and global organizations, including Facebook (now Meta), H-E-B, John Deere, Dairy Queen, and Chuy’s Restaurants, as well as global enterprise technology firms. Dr. Sussman’s industry experience continues to inform her work as a researcher and professor.
Dr. Sussman joined Texas State University in 2022, where she teaches Advertising Strategic Planning (MC4317), Advertising Campaigns (MC4307), and graduate-level Social Media Campaigns. She is a two-time nominee for Texas State University’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities, recognizing her contributions to research and scholarship.
Dr. Sussman previously taught in the Stan Richards School of Advertising at the University of Texas at Austin and the Bill Munday School of Business at St. Edward’s University, and currently collaborates with the Nelson Center for Brand and Demand Analytics on initiatives examining AI ethics and the responsible integration of artificial intelligence into advertising and brand practice.
Research Interests
Dr. Sussman’s research examines AI-mediated communication in real-world contexts, with attention to how automated and algorithmically generated messages influence emotion, engagement, credibility, and decision-making on social media platforms.
Current and ongoing projects include:
—AI-generated versus human-authored advertising and social media messages
—Moral, emotional, and linguistic framing effects in AI-mediated persuasion
—Computational analyses of engagement, sentiment, and language complexity
—Multilingual and equity-focused AI applications for emergency preparedness and public communication
She is a Co-PI on a City of Austin–funded project exploring multilingual AI-assisted emergency communication for underserved communities and has presented her work at national and international venues, including the ACM Web Conference.
Her research contributes to interdisciplinary conversations across advertising, communication, computing, and public-interest technology.
Current and ongoing projects include:
—AI-generated versus human-authored advertising and social media messages
—Moral, emotional, and linguistic framing effects in AI-mediated persuasion
—Computational analyses of engagement, sentiment, and language complexity
—Multilingual and equity-focused AI applications for emergency preparedness and public communication
She is a Co-PI on a City of Austin–funded project exploring multilingual AI-assisted emergency communication for underserved communities and has presented her work at national and international venues, including the ACM Web Conference.
Her research contributes to interdisciplinary conversations across advertising, communication, computing, and public-interest technology.
Teaching Interests
Dr. Sussman’s teaching centers on advertising strategy, digital and social media, AI and media technologies, marketing analytics, and computational methods. Her courses emphasize strategic thinking, ethical decision-making, and applied data analysis, preparing students to work at the intersection of creativity, technology, and persuasion.