Qiusi Sun

Her research examines the social implications of emerging technologies, with a focus on online deviant behaviors, misinformation, and Human-AI Interactions. She integrates computational methods (e.g., ML, NLP, SNA, and ABM) with theories from communication, sociology, psychology, and information science to investigate how human interactions, algorithms, and AI systems shape online discourse, cultural practices, and social well-being.

Before joining LSE, Qiusi was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies, contributing to an NSF-funded project on the diffusion of vaccine misinformation.

She received her PhD in Communication from the University of California, Davis.

Qiusi's research investigates how emerging technologies reshape human communications and social interactions, with an emphasis on their consequences.

She is particularly interested in understanding how AI systems and algorithmic infrastructures interact with humans to produce new forms of deviance, amplify misinformation, and influence human behaviors in digital spaces.

At LSE, She aims to develop dynamic, multilevel models of human-machine ecosystems that capture how narratives, norms, and collective behaviors evolve across platforms, which advances theory in communication and computational social science and inform the design of responsible, human-centered technologies that promote healthier digital societies.

Publications:

Sun, Q., & Hilbert, M. (2025). Will You Become the Next Troll? A Computational Mechanics Approach to the Contagion of Trolling Behavior. Entropy, 27(5), 542.

Sun, Q., Wojcieszak, M., & Davidson, S. (2021). Over-Time Trends in Incivility on Social Media: Evidence From Political, Non-Political, and Mixed Sub-Reddits Over Eleven Years. Frontiers in Political Science, 130.

Sun, Q., & Shen, C. (2021). Who would respond to A troll? A social network analysis of reactions to trolls in online communities. Computers in Human Behavior, 121, 106786.