Bryan joined the University of Nebraska–Lincoln as an assistant professor of public relations in the College of Journalism and Mass Communications in 2012.

Bryan’s teaching specialties include strategic communication, new media and quantitative research methodology. At the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he teaches courses in public relations, social media and campaign strategy development.

Prior to his graduate studies in the United States, Bryan had professional experiences in journalism and strategic communication in China. At the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he is involved in professional advising and development in public relations. 

In 2013, he was selected as a Plank Center Public Relations Fellow for professional development at Tesoro Corporation in San Antonio, Texas. He spent two weeks with Tesoro on a project examining the use of social media in corporate communication.

In addition to teaching and advising, Bryan is also committed to conducting theoretical research that is consequential for not only strategic communication practices but also for democratic citizenship. More specifically, his research program explores strategic communication effects on citizen engagement in the political, social and commercial realms, focusing on two channels of influence: advertising and new media (particularly social and mobile media). He is currently studying: (1) political advertising's effects on candidate evaluations and voting behavior; (2) use of new communication technologies in strategic communication; and (3) the effects of social and mobile media on citizen engagement.

Bryan’s research results have appeared in the Journal of Communication, Communication Research, and the ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. He has also presented his research work at major academic conferences, such as the International Communication Association (ICA), the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) and the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA).

Bryan has a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2012), where he also minored in Quantitative Methodology in the Department of Educational Psychology. Prior to that, he completed his M.A. in Communication from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University in 2006. Before he started his graduate studies in the United States, he earned a bachelor’s degree in International Journalism from Shanghai International Studies University (2004) in China.

In his free time, Bryan enjoys biking, jogging on beautiful trails and getting tasty food at farmers’ markets in Lincoln.