Larry Xu
Dr. Larry Zhiming XuMarquette University

Johnston Hall, 530

MilwaukeeWI53201United States of America
(414)288-5994Personal Website

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor of Information Systems and Analytics

I am an assistant professor of strategic communication and, by courtesy, assistant professor of information systems and analytics at Marquette University, where I serve as the founding director of the Ai4Ai Lounge (Artificial Intelligence for Analytics and Insights). As affiliated faculty at the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute (NMDSI), I co-chair the Talent Subcommittee, which oversees NMDSI's talent strategy. 

Education

Ph.D., University of Southern California

Courses Taught

COMM 1700 Communication Statistics and Analysis
COMM 2500 Communication Research
COMM 6815 Digital Communication Strategies in Metrics: Data Analytics 
CORE 1929 Methods of Inquiry: Communicating with Data 
PURE 3000 Public Relations Research and Measurement

Research Interests

emerging media and technology, information systems, data science, computational social science, artificial intelligence 

Professional Affiliations

Academy of Management
Association for Computing Machinery 
Association for Information Systems
International Communication Association

Publications

Fischmann, A., & Xu, L. Z. (2023). Emotion regulation and cheap talk as signaling strategies: Evidence from crowdfunding for Ukraine. Telematics and Informatics, 102086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.102086 

Xu, L. Z., Sargent, M., Xu, Y., Sun, J., Li, Y., & Fulk, J. (2022). The emergence of core (hash)tags and its effects on performance. Telematics and Informatics, 101854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2022.101854

Xu, L. Z. (2021). Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University in the USA. In Annals of Chinese Journalism and Communication Education. Wuhan University Press.   

Wei, R., & Xu, L. Z. (2019). New media and politics: A synopsis of theories, issues, and research. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.104 

Xu, L. Z. (2018). Will a digital camera cure your sick puppy? Modality and category effects in donation-based crowdfunding. Telematics and Informatics, 35(7), 1914-1924. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2018.06.004

Walter, N., Cody, M. J., Xu, L. Z., & Murphy, S. T. (2018). A priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into a bar: A meta-analysis of humor effects on persuasion. Human Communication Research, 44(4), 343-373. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqy005

Xu, L. Z. (2017). Chun Wei Choo, The inquiring organization: How organizations acquire knowledge & seek information. International Journal of Communication, 11, 3. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/7548/2074

Honors and Awards

Dean’s Recognition Award for Outstanding Advisor, Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University, 2022

Top Student Paper Award, Information Systems Division, International Communication Association, 2017

Top Three Papers Award, Big Data and Human Behavior Symposium, University of Southern California, 2017

Grants

Co-principal Investigator (but PI at Marquette), Pioneer Collaborative Curricular Program ($49,838.33), Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute, 2024-2025

Principal Investigator, Faculty mini-grant ($50,000, Co-Is: Praveen Madiraju, Kambiz Saffarizadeh), Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute, 2023-2024

Principal Investigator, Faculty start-up grant ($12,000), Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute, 2020-2025

Presentations

Xu, L. Z. (2024). When transparency is costly: GenAI disclosure suppresses empathy in medical crowdfunding. Paper presented at the 30th Americas Conference on Information Systems, Salt Lake City, August 15-17.    

Xu, L. Z., Saffarizadeh, K., & Lee, J. (2024). Fast forward, as Copilot becomes the pilot: Examining GenAI dependence and problematic use. Abstract presented at the the 30th Americas Conference on Information Systems, Salt Lake City, August 15-17.   

Al Lawati, B., Lee, J., Xu, L. Z., & Ow, T. T. (2024). Embracing GenAI in the classroom: Getting business students excited about information technology. Abstract presented at the the 30th Americas Conference on Information Systems, Salt Lake City, August 15-17.    

Xu, L. Z. (2022). A MTML approach to examining crowdfunding organizing and networks. Paper presented at the 72rd International Communication Association Annual Conference, Paris, France, May 26-30.  

Xu, L. Z. (2019). A multitheoretical multilevel explication of crowd-enabled organizations: Exploration/exploitation, social capital, signaling, and homophily as determinants of associative mechanisms in crowdfunding. Extended abstract accepted by the Organizational Communication and Information Systems Doctoral Consortium at the 79th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Boston, Aug 9-13.

Xu, L. Z. (2019). What is stronger than fear is hope: Effects of emotional flow in crowdfunding narrative processing. Paper presented at the 69th International Communication Association Annual Conference, Washington DC, May 24-28.

Sun, Y. Xu, L. Z., Xu, Y., & Zhou, Y., (2019). Fake or real? Detecting online misinformation using computer vision techniques. Paper presented at the Annenberg Graduate Fellowship Research and Graduate and Creative Project Symposium, Los Angeles, Apr 18.

Xu, L. Z. & Walter, N. (2018). A plot twist plus a happy ending: Effects of emotional flow in crowdfunding narrative processing. Paper accepted to the 104th National Communication Association Annual Convention, Salt Lake City, November 8-11.

Xu, L. Z., Sargent, M., Xu, Y., Sun, J., Li, Y., Monge, P. R., Fulk, J. (2018). Simple tags, profound influences: Explicating social tagging as multilevel expertise in a crowdsourcing design community. Paper presented at the 68th International Communication Association Annual Conference, Prague, May 24-28.

Xu, Y., Sun, Y., Xu, L. Z., Monge, P. R., Fulk, J., & Lomi, A. (2018). Networks within crowds: Investigating the formation of multidimensional and multilevel networks in online crowdsourcing. Paper presented the 68th International Communication Association Annual Conference, Prague, May 24-28.

Sun, Y. Xu, L. Z., Xu, Y., & Zhou, Y., (2018). Serial integration, real innovation: Effects of knowledge variety and interactive commenting in online crowdsourcing open challenges. Paper presented at the Annenberg Graduate Fellowship Research and Graduate and Creative Project Symposium, Los Angeles, Apr 18.

Xu, L. Z. (2017). Will a digital camera cure your sick puppy? The persuasive power of communication modality and storytelling narrative in crowdfunding. Paper presented at the 67th International Communication Association Annual Conference, San Diego, May 25-29. (Top Student Paper Award in Information Systems Division)

Xu, L. Z. & Shaikh, S. J. (2017). The inevitable decline: Explicating the (non)sharing decisions on Facebook. Paper presented at the 67th International Communication Association Annual Conference, San Diego, May 25-29.

Lopez, R. A. & Xu, L. Z. (2017). Battling for the net: Big data and net neutrality activism. Paper presented at the 67th International Communication Association Annual Conference, San Diego, May 25-29.

Walter, N., Cody, M. J., Xu, L. Z., & Murphy S. T. (2017). Meta-analysis of humor effects on persuasion. Paper presented at the 67th International Communication Association Annual Conference, San Diego, May 25-29.

Xu, L. Z. (2017). Analyzing crowdfunding description texts using topic modeling. Paper presented 2nd Big Data and Human Behavior Symposium at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, March 11 (Top Three Papers Award).

Xu, L. Z. & Ge. Z. (2016). A two-mode network analysis of crowdfunding donors in structural equivalence. Paper presented at the International Network of Social Network Analysis XXXVI Sunbelt Conference, Newport Beach, April 5-10.

Lopez. R. A. & Xu, L. Z. (2016). Net neutrality activism. Paper presented at the 1st Big Data and Human Behavior Symposium at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, March 11.

Xu, L. Z. (2015). Exploring the impact of diffusion networks and content characteristics on crowdfunding. Paper presented at the 101st National Communication Association Annual Convention, Las Vegas, November 19-22.

Wang. X. & Xu, L. Z. (2015). Mapping 20 years of Asian journalism research: A content analysis of top journal articles on journalism in Asia. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Annual Conference, San Francisco, August 6-9.

Xu, L. Z. (2014). A revisit with the hostile media effect: Perceived media quality, perceived reach and polarized judgments among college students. Paper presented at the 100th National Communication Association Convention, Chicago, November 18-23.

Xu, L. Z. (2014). The “citizen-partisan dilemma”: The impact of nationalism and ideology on misperceptions towards publicized truth claims about foreign affairs. Paper presented at the Midwest Association of Public Opinion Research Annual Convention, Chicago, November 18-23.

Xu, L. Z. & Peterson. J. C. (2014). Exploring the cultural and communicative meanings of cooking to Chinese students in the USA through photovoice. Paper presented at the 64th International Communication Association Annual Conference, Seattle, May 22-26.

Xu, L. Z. (2013). Do international students and domestic students differ in social capital? Examining the disengagement of international college students in the USA. Paper presented at the 99th National Communication Association Annual Convention, Washington, DC, November 21-24.

Why Marquette

Cura personalis values in education; interdisciplinary research opportunities

Responsibilities

Affiliated Faculty and Co-chair of Talent Subcommittee, Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute 

Advisory Board Member, Center for Data, Ethics, and Society, Marquette University 

Faculty mentor, Data Science REU, Marquette University