Vy Luong is a PhD candidate studying media sociology and media management. Her research focuses on the intersection of organizational studies, media innovation and identity. Vy employs a range of methodological approaches – including qualitative, quantitative and computational methods – to examine the impact of social, organizational and personal factors on journalistic practices and identity construction. She specifically explores how one negotiates the multidimensionality of their identity (e.g.: personal, professional, organizational, intersectional) and how their identity impacts their role conception and performance.

Vy holds a master’s degree in journalism and a graduate certificate in media management from the University of Oklahoma, where her thesis on newsroom management of social media use won the Top Paper Award in the Media Management, Economics and Entrepreneurship Division at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s (AEJMC) annual conference. She also earned dual bachelor’s degrees in professional media and strategic communications from the University of Central Oklahoma.

Along with working on her doctoral degree, Vy has obtained a graduate certificate in college teaching and a graduate certificate in data science and analysis from the University of Missouri, enhancing her ability in teaching and research. Vy’s teaching experience reflects her interdisciplinary expertise. She has taught a variety of undergraduate courses in journalism and strategic communications, focusing on multimedia journalism, journalism theory and research methods. She also developed the first ever course on artificial intelligence in journalism at the University of Oklahoma.

Beyond her academic achievements, Vy has received numerous recognitions for her work as a multimedia journalist and online editor. Before attending MU, she served as the online editor for Gaylord News based in Washington, D.C., where she supervised a team covering Oklahoma politics on the national stage.

Besides her main research agenda in journalism studies, she has contributed to high-impact research projects at MU such as the Agriculture and Water Desk and the Researcher Identity Project. She has served on the national leadership team of the Media Management, Economics, and Entrepreneurship Division (MMEE) division and as a representative for the Missouri School of Journalism on the MU Graduate Professional Council.

Selected Conference Presentations

Luong, V, Jenkins, J, (2024, August) Am I a Professional? Offline and Online Identity Work of Student Journalists. Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication (Community Journalism Division). Philadelphia, PA.

Renoe, S, Raskauskaite, Z, Luong, V, Dieringer, M (2024, June) Picture-perfect Identity: An Examination of Academic Belonging [Top Paper Award] International Communication Association Conference (Intergroup Communication Division). Sydney, Australia.

Luong, V (2023, August) The Ideal Manager: How Media Managers Present Their Identities Through Social Media Profiles [2nd Place Top Student Paper Award]Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication annual conference (Media Management, Economics & Entrepreneurship Division). Washington DC.

Luong, V (2023, August) Intersectionality & Context-Collapsed Audiences: Personal Branding as a Segway to Teaching Public Relations Concepts [Great Ideas for Teaching Students Competition], Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication annual conference (Public Relation Division). Washington DC.

Luong, V. (2022, August). What should we do? Perceptions on managers’ roles and policy in managing social media use. [Top Student Paper Award]Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication annual conference (Media Management, Economics & Entrepreneurship Division). Detroit, MI. 

Luong, V. (2022, August). Personal And Professional Identities Boundaries: Where Does The Journalist End And The Citizen Begin?Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication annual conference (Newspaper and Online News Division). Detroit, MI.