Featured Member
- iSchools News
- Aug 28
- 6 min read
Issue#15
Yuxiang Chris Zhao
Asia Pacific Region
China
Nanjing University
School of Information Management
iSchool is member since 2011
Hello Chris! Please tell us a bit about you!
I’m Yuxiang (Chris) Zhao, a professor at the School of Information Management, Nanjing University. My research sits at the intersection of human information behavior, health informatics, and digital humanities. Lately, I’ve been particularly drawn to how people interact with AI, how vulnerable populations navigate the digital world, and how we preserve and engage with cultural heritage through information practices. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to publish around 350 papers across a broad range of journals and conferences, covering topics that reflect my somewhat restless curiosity about how information shapes our lives.
Beyond research, I’m actively involved in our academic community. I’m currently chair of the ASIS&T 2026 Annual Meeting, co-chair of the iConference 2026 full research paper track, and co-chair of the DCMI 2026 paper and panel track. I’ve previously chaired the ASIS&T Asia Chapter and served on various program committees. I have served on editorial boards for several journals, including Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, Information Processing & Management, Journal of Documentation, Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, Library Trends, Data and Information Management, Journal of Data and Information Science, and Digital Transformation and Society, and have guest-edited special issues on topics ranging from health informatics to ICT4D.
When I’m not doing any of that, I’m probably thinking about how to make information science more inclusive, collaborative, and impactful—or just trying to keep up with my students, who constantly remind me how much I still have to learn.
Your research has also explored human–computer interaction and human-centered information systems. As AI becomes part of everyday life, is there a project or finding that you are particularly proud of, and why?
I’ve always been committed to human-centered research—particularly how technology can deeply perceive and respond to people’s evolving information needs, and how it can empower individuals to better adapt to and even create new ICT artifacts. This commitment has guided my work for nearly two decades.
One thread I’m especially proud of is my long-term engagement with affordance theory as a lens for understanding information behavior and information practices. Over the past 16 years or so, I’ve been exploring how people perceive potentials for action—and meaning-making—as they interact with technology and the surrounding environment. This journey has taken me from traditional social media platforms to, more recently, generative AI environments. What fascinates me is that the core questions remain surprisingly consistent: how do users recognize what a system offers them, and how do they make sense of those possibilities in context?
More recently, I’ve been leading a major project funded by the National Social Science Foundation of China, titled "Enhancing Digital Literacy in the Intelligent Age: Theory and Practice." In this project, my team and I examine diverse information grounds and population groups, designing targeted information practices around a range of literacies, from traditional information and media literacy to emerging algorithmic literacy and prompt literacy. This work pushes me to bridge theory and practice in concrete ways, and it constantly reminds me of something I hold dear: our information field’s deep appreciation for everyday life contexts.
To me, that is precisely what distinguishes information science from computer science or other engineering-oriented disciplines—and it circles back to where I started. We don’t just care about technological advancement; we care about human experience, growth, value, and ultimately, human wellbeing. That’s what keeps me going, and that’s what I’m most proud of contributing to.
As your Schools at Nanjing University supports innovation and international collaboration, could you tell us a little more about your iSchool?
Our school is located in Nanjing, a beautiful ancient capital with over two thousand years of history and rich cultural heritage, a city that gracefully embraces modernity while honoring its past. The School of Information Management at Nanjing University traces its roots back to 1927, when the Department of Library Studies was founded by American librarian William Harry Clemons. Today, we have grown into a vibrant community of over 60 faculty members and 1,100 students, organized across four academic departments. We offer four undergraduate programs, five interdisciplinary programs, and twelve graduate programs. Our faculty bring diverse academic backgrounds and expertise spanning nearly 30 research areas.
One of our key research hubs is the Laboratory of Data Intelligence and Interdisciplinary Innovation (LabDIII). The lab brings together fields such as computer science, economics and management, public administration, and communication studies, building an integrated ecosystem for intelligent services. It is designed to support national strategies and promote high-quality regional economic and social development. The lab follows a philosophy of integrated development centered on data intelligence and interdisciplinary collaboration. Its work focuses on four areas: developing and applying data-driven and intelligent technologies; building digital infrastructure for the humanities and social sciences; innovating pedagogical approaches in these fields; and accelerating the development of China’s indigenous knowledge system in the humanities and social sciences domain.
We also maintain close partnerships with many well-known universities and research institutions worldwide, including the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge, the Department of Information and Library Science at Indiana University Bloomington, the School of Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh, the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the School of Information Technology and Mathematical Sciences at the University of South Australia, among others. These collaborations enrich our academic environment and provide our students and faculty with valuable opportunities for global engagement.
Throughout your career, you’ve collaborated with researchers from different countries and disciplines. What have you found most rewarding about these international collaborations?
I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with scholars from diverse countries and regions, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Singapore, Sweden, Finland, and beyond. These international partnerships have been immensely rewarding in two fundamental ways: they have significantly enriched my intellectual horizons, and they have profoundly broadened my perspectives on how we frame and approach research problems.
One particularly experience was serving as the leading guest editor for a special issue of JASIST on “ICT4D and Intersections with the Information Field” (2023, Volume 74, Issue 12). Working closely with the guest editorial team, authors, and reviewers from different parts of the world was a genuine exercise in cross-cultural academic collaboration. We navigated varying scholarly traditions, writing styles, and review expectations, but the collective effort resulted in a meaningful contribution that I believe reflects the richness of our global community. The entire process taught me that the magic of international collaboration lies not just in the final output, but in the ongoing dialogue and mutual learning along the way.
Beyond geographic diversity, I’ve also found deep value in interdisciplinary collaboration. Take our work on health information literacy among older adults, for example. That project brought me into close conversation with colleagues from medicine, gerontology, sociology, communication, and computer science. What struck me most was the realization that many of the pressing issues in information science today are not our exclusive domain. They are fundamentally multidisciplinary canvases waiting to be co-created. In this kind of collaborative space, I believe we should proudly bring our disciplinary strengths and unique perspectives to the table, while also staying genuinely open to learning from other fields. It’s this reciprocal exchange that truly advances the kind of impactful, human-centered research that our field aspires to.
Congratulations on serving as Conference Chair of ASIS&T 2026. The ASIS&T Annual Meeting brings together scholars and practitioners in information science and related fields, what motivated you to take on this role? What can participants expect?
Thank you! What motivated me most was the desire to amplify the voices of Asian scholars and practitioners within the global iSchools and information-related studies community. This is a historic moment—the ASIS&T Annual Meeting is being held in Asia for the first time in its 89-year history. I felt a strong responsibility and honor to help make this happen, and I hope this milestone opens more doors for meaningful engagement across regions.
As for what participants can expect—Bangkok itself is part of the experience. It’s a city where tradition and modernity coexist vibrantly, and its inclusive, diverse spirit makes it a natural setting for the cross-cultural dialogue we aim to foster. Our theme, “Crossing Boundaries: Advancing Global Dialogue and Well-being through Information Research and Practice”, invites us to think beyond geography—across disciplines, values, and worldviews. We have an exciting program lined up, including a compelling opening plenary and a lively closing debate, and we truly look forward to bringing our community together in this dynamic setting.
If you could give just one advice to future information scientists, what would it be?
My advice would be to stay curious and be observant in everyday life. A good researcher in information science should keep pace with technological, social, and human development, because our field ultimately serves people in their lived contexts.
Thank you very much, Chris!
Featured Members is an iSchools Feature series spotlighting members of iSchools who are part of the development and organization of thought provoking projects or conferences. Please contact admin@ischools-inc.org in case you would like to be featured as well.
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