Silei Zhu

Silei Zhu studies how media infrastructures—broadly defined to include platforms, AI systems, and logistical networks—organize value, labor, and control under digital capitalism. His research is grounded in critical theory and qualitative methods, including ethnography, interviews, and critical discourse analysis.

In 2024, Zhu received the Top Student Paper Award from the Environmental Communication Division at the 74th Annual International Communication Association (ICA) Conference. He has presented six papers at major conferences, including ICA, AoIR, ASIS&T, and IAMCR, and has co-authored five articles in Chinese journals of social science.

Zhu is currently working on "AI Fortune-Telling: Trust, Privacy, and Accuracy" with PI Dr. Alex Lu, exploring how users engage with spiritual technologies shaped by algorithmic systems. He is also developing a primary research project on surveillance and control in workplace platforms and AI systems.

M.A., Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University
B.A., Journalism and Communication,  Hubei University