Kang Zhao

Kang Zhao

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate at the College of Information Sciences and Technology at The Pennsylvania State University (University Park). My doctoral dissertation committee members include Dr. John Yen (chair), Dr. Akhil Kumar, Dr. Réka Albert, and Dr. C. Lee Giles. I expect to defend my dissertation in Spring 2012.
 
At Penn State, I was the recipient of the Graham Endowed Graduate Fellowship and the Network Science Exploration Grant. I an also affiliated with the Intelligent Agent Laboratory.
 
Research Interests
My current research focuses on social computing and business analytics. I work on the analysis, modeling, mining, and simulation of social/business networks and social media. Specifically, my research studies the flow of influence, informaiton, and supplies in the context of online social networks and social media, inter-organizational networks, and distribution networks.
Research topics include
  Identify sentiment dynamics and influential users in online social networks for health (The Cancer Informatics Initiative)
Reveal the topical publishing behaviors of bloggers, and their contribution styles and influence.
  Analyze the flow of informaiton and supplies in distribution network, and improve the robustness of distribution networks against disruptions.
  Model network influence and informaiton flow, and simulate the emergence of multi-relational networks (e.g., inter-organizational networks among humanitarian agencies. NSF Project COHORT).
 To learn more about my experience and research, please see my current CV.