Wei Peng is an assistant professor in the Department of Telecommunications, Information Studies, and Media, Michigan State University. She received her Ph.D. in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California in 2006 and joined MSU since then. She is affiliated with the Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) lab and the Health and Risk Communication Center. Her primary research interest is to understand the persuasive impacts of interactive technologies, especially digital games. She is interested in using digital games for health promotion, health education, and social change. Her broader research area is the social and psychological influence of communication technology. She has studied the negative influence of violent video games, addictive MMORPGs, and advergames targeting at youth. She is currently working on a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supported project to develop and evaluate an exergame for young adults. Her previous research projects have been supported by the Annenberg Communications Critical Pathways Dissertation Fellowship and the MSU Family and Communities Together Coalition Grant. She has won several top paper awards from the International Communication Association and the National Communication Association. Her recent publications appear or are in press in Journal of Communication, Health Communication, Journal of Health Communication, Computers in Human Behavior, CyberPsychology & Behavior, and Educational Gerontology. Research Interests Persuasive Technology, Media Effects, Serious Games for Health Promotion, User-Generated Content Office Hours: Mondays 4:00-6:00pm or by appointment