Rain Wuyu Liu

Rain Wuyu Liu (Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2017) is an Assistant Professor of Communication. Her research centers on persuasion and social influence, with a particular focus on the effects of social norm messaging on health and environmental information processing, attitude formation, and behavior change. She is also interested in the intersection of cultural values, beliefs, and social normative influence in shaping individuals' attitudes and behaviors. Her research extends to areas of research methods, statistics, and strategic communication campaign design.

With extensive experience in grant-funded research, Dr. Liu has contributed to projects including a National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded study among Tibetan herders in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. She has also worked on projects supported by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the University of Arizona Research Innovation & Impact (RII), and the Social & Behavioral Sciences Research Institute (SBSRI). In addition, she is actively engaged in community-based initiatives and collaborates with environmental advocacy groups, such as Sustainable Tucson, to translate research into meaningful local impacts.

Her work has appeared in journals including Communication Monographs, Environmental Communication, Health Communication, Communication Studies, American Behavioral Scientist, Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Journal of Health Psychology, and Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, among others.

Dr. Liu’s contributions to the field have been widely recognized. She is the recipient of the B. Aubrey Fisher Outstanding Journal Article Award, multiple Top Paper Awards from the National Communication Association (NCA) and the International Communication Association (ICA), and the inaugural Environmental Communication Division Dissertation Award from ICA. Her accolades also include the Outstanding Paper Award and Outstanding Young Scholar Award from the International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies (IAICS), as well as multiple research excellence fellowship awards from Michigan State University and the Association for Chinese Communication Studies (ACCS) in NCA.

She teaches courses in public relations, intercultural communication, and communication/PR campaign design and analysis.

Dr. Liu will be accepting graduate students for Fall 2026.

Selected Publications 

Liu, R. W. & Lapinski, M. K. (2025). Social Norms and culture: Theorizing and testing the effects of injunctive norms appeals. Communication Monographs. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2025.2506699

Liu, R. W., Zhuang, J., & Li, X. (2025). Synthesizing the role of culture in social norms influence: A systematic review of cross-cultural studies. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 54(6), 433–489. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2025.2573283 (collaboration with UA students)

Liu, R. W., Li, X., Foerster, T. A., Zhuang, J., & Danso, K. (2025). Theorizing the role of group dynamics on pro-environmental behaviors across cultures.Journal of Intercultural Communication Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2025.2586553 (collaboration with UA students)

Liu, R. W., Cheng, Y., & Fanari, A. (2024). Testing the theory of normative social behavior in Italy and the USA during COVID-19.  International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 103, Article:102068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2024.102068  Funded by the SBSRI Leverage Grant; International Journal of Intercultural Relations. (collaboration with UA students)

Liu, R. W., Fanari, A., & Lee, D. G. (2024). Love better by fighting smarter: How intercultural couples develop dyadic cultural affinity through romantic conflict management. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 100, Article 101987. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2024.101987 (collaboration with UA students)

Liu, R. W., & Lapinski, M. K. (2024). Cultural influences on the effects of social norm appeals. Theme issue Social norm change: Drivers and consequences. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 379(1897), Article 20230036. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2023.0036 

Liu, R. W., Cheng, Y., Barbati, J., Rains, S. A., Crane, T. E., & Ernst, K. C. (2023). The effectiveness of social norm appeals on promoting COVID-19 prevention behaviors: A multistudy examination. Health Communication. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2284493 (collaboration with UA students)

Liu, R. W., Cheng, Y., & Foerster, T. A. (2024). Modeling the relationship between perceived descriptive norms and willingness to practice COVID-19 preventative behaviors: A test of the mediation and moderation mechanisms in the theory of normative social behavior. Health Communication, 39(2), 339–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2165257 (collaboration with UA students)

Liu, R. W., Cheng, Y., Boster, F. J., & Townson, C. (2022). The suasory force of sticky messages: A replication and extension. Western Journal of Communication. 86(3), 297–320. https://doi.org/10.1080/10570314.2022.2057579 (2024 B. Aubrey Fisher Outstanding Journal Article Award) 

Liu, R. W., Lapinski, M. K., Kerr, J., Zhao, J., Bum, T., & Lu, Z. (2022). Culture and social norms: Development and application of a model for culturally contextualized communication measurement (MC3M). Frontiers in Communication, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.770513 

Liu, R. W., & Lapinski, M. K. (2022). The theory of normative social behavior. In E. Y. Ho., C. L. Bylund, & J. C. M. van Weert (Eds.). International encyclopedia of health communication. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119678816 

Cheng, Y., Liu, R. W., & Foerster, T. A. (2022). Predicting intentions to practice COVID-19 preventative behaviors in the United States: A test of the risk perception attitude framework and the theory of normative social behavior. Journal of Health Psychology, 27(12), 2744–2762. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053211057382 (collaboration with UA students)

Lapinski, M. K., Liu, R. W., Kerr, J. M., Zhao, J., Bum, T., & Lu, Z. (2022). Culture and social norms: Behavioral decisions about grassland conservation among ethnically Tibetan pastoralists. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 15(3), 333–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/17513057.2021.1916569 

Fanari, A., Liu, R. W., & Foerster, T. (2021). Homesick or Sick-of-Home? Examining the Effects of Self-Disclosure on Students’ Reverse Culture Shock after Studying Abroad: A Mixed-Method Study. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 50(3), 273–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2020.1866643 (collaboration with UA students)

Kahler, J., Liu, R. W., Newcomb, T., Herbst, S., & Gore, M. (2020). Public risk perceptions associated with Asian carp introduction and corresponding response actions. Management of Biological Invasions, 11(1), 80–95. https://doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2020.11.1.06