The Communication, Advertising & Society (CAS) research group is delighted to welcome four new PhD candidates who are joining the research group this academic year. Their projects bring a wide range of perspectives to the study of communication, addressing key social, cultural, and technological challenges in today’s media landscape.

Lanruo Mao will investigate “Influencer Marketing Strategies of Chinese E-commerce Brands: Perception and Effects among Generation Z in Spain.” Her research explores how Spanish GenZ values, such as social responsibility and sustainability, influence young audiences’ acceptance of major Chinese platforms like SHEIN, TEMU, and AliExpress, examining cross-cultural branding and digital consumer behavior. The thesis is supervised by Mònika Jiménez-Morales. 

Natalia Kariluz Molina Valer will focus on public communication and inclusion. Her thesis, titled “Analysis of the Actions and Communication Strategies of the National Council for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (Conadis) in Peru (2015–2025),”  analyzes the communication actions and strategies developed by Conadis in Peru between 2015 and 2025, assessing their effectiveness and impact in promoting inclusion and defending the rights of persons with disabilities. It also explores how institutional communication can contribute to reducing attitudinal barriers and addressing digital exclusion. Her research is supervised by Professor Yasmina Okan.

Kristel Didi Núñez Villarreal’s doctoral project, “Relationship between Organizational Communication and the Perception of Sustainability,” examines how corporate communication strategies, both internal and external, shape audiences’ understanding of environmental values and sustainable practices. Through a quantitative approach, her research analyzes how these strategies influence perceptions of sustainability and engagement with environmentally responsible behaviors, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Her work contributes to the growing field of sustainability communication and its relationship with corporate reputation. Kristel’s project will be guided by Professor Lluís Mas-Manchón. 

Olga Raurell Rifà’s doctoral project, “From Disenchantment to Action: A Neurocommunicative Understanding of Climate Ambition in Times of the Housing Crisis,” examines the saturation of strategic climate change communication and the new constraints emerging from regulations such as EU Regulation 2024/900 on political advertising. Her research situates the climate crisis within a broader social and psychological context, acknowledging that it unfolds alongside rising mental health challenges and overlapping issues such as the housing crisis. By integrating neuroscientific and communicative perspectives, it seeks to understand how emotional and cognitive processes can transform public disengagement into constructive climate action. Her work will also be supervised by Lluís Mas-Manchón. 

Together, these four doctoral projects reflect the CAS group’s commitment to interdisciplinary research and to understanding how communication practices both shape and are shaped by social change, technological innovation, and human experience.