Lei Hou is an Associate Professor at the School of Management Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, where he also serves as Head of the Department of Big Data Management.
He received his PhD in Business Informatics from Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK, and subsequently conducted research at the Center for Communication Research, City University of Hong Kong.
His research focuses on the intersection of data science, digital platforms, and complex social and economic systems. He is particularly interested in understanding how users and consumers process, evaluate, and respond to information in online environments. His work examines topics such as user and consumer information behavior, online review and platform communication, social media analytics, short-form video and digital content, AI-generated content, deepfake videos, and the governance of online information risks. Methodologically, his research often combines computational methods, machine learning, text mining, image analysis, econometric modeling, and experimental or survey-based approaches to study user behavior and digital information ecosystems.
He has published more than 30 papers in leading journals, including Tourism Management, Internet Research, Information Processing & Management, Journal of Informetrics, and iScience. His work has received over 1,000 citations on Google Scholar, with an H-index of 19.
Email: l.hou@nuist.edu.cn
Education and Research Experience
10/2019–Present: Lecturer / Associate Professor, School of Management Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology
10/2018–11/2019: Postdoctoral Researcher, Center for Communication Research, City University of Hong Kong
09/2015–08/2018: PhD in Business Informatics, Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK
12/2014–07/2015: Research Assistant, Internet Mining Laboratory, City University of Hong Kong
09/2012–03/2015: MSc in Systems Science, School of Management, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology
09/2008–06/2012: Bachelor of Management in Industrial Engineering, College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology
Selected Publications
Hou, L., Min, Y., Pan, X., Gong, Z.* (2025). Distinguishing AI-generated versus real tourism photos: Visual differences, human judgment, and deep learning detection. Information Processing & Management, 62(5), 104218. (SSCI/SCI, IF 7.4)
Pan, X., Xie, L., Hou, L.* (2024). Aesthetic quality matters: the visual effect of online review helpfulness evaluation. Information Processing & Management, 61(2), 103615. (SSCI/SCI, IF 8.6)
Hou, L.*, Huang, Y. (2024). Optimizing the connectedness of recommendation networks for retrieval accuracy and visiting diversity of random walks. Physica A, 637, 129604. (SCI, IF 3.3)
Hou, L.*, Guo, X. & Pan, X. (2023). Intermittent social media usage: An empirical examination on the temporary discontinuance of blogging and its impact on subsequent user behavior. Information Processing and Management, 60, 103461. (SSCI/SCI, IF 8.6)
Hou, L., & Pan, X. (2023). Aesthetics of hotel photos and its impact on consumer engagement: A computer vision approach. Tourism Management, 94, 104653. (SSCI, IF 12.879, ABS 4*)
Hou, L., Pan, X., Liu, K., Yang, Z., Liu, J., Zhou, T. (2023). Information cocoons in online navigation. iScience, 26, 105893. (SCI, IF 6.107)
Hou, L., Guan, L., Zhou, Y., Shen, A., Wang, W., Luo, A., Lu, H., & Zhu, J.J.H. (2023), Staying, switching, and multiplatforming of user-generated content activities: a 12-year panel study. Internet Research, 33(4), 1372-1398. (SCI, IF 6.353, ABS 3*)
Hou, L.*, Pan, Y. (2022). Evaluating the connectedness of commodity futures markets via the cross-correlation network. Frontiers in Physics, 10, 1017009. (SCI, IF 3.718)
Pan, Y., Hou, L.*, & Pan, X. (2022). Interplay between stock trading volume, policy, and investor sentiment: A multifractal approach. Physica A, 603, 127706. (SCI, IF 3.778)
Hou, L.* (2022). Network versus content: The effectiveness in identifying opinion leaders in an online social network with empirical evaluation. Physica A, 592, 126879. (SCI, IF 3.778)
Hou, L.*, & Pan, X. (2022). Consumers with specialised and diverse experience produce more helpful reviews. Online Information Review, 46(4), 645-659. (SSCI, IF 2.325)
Pan, X., Hou, L.*, & Liu, K. (2022). The Effect of Product Distance on the WOM in Recommendation Network. Electronic Commerce Research, 22, 901-924. (SSCI, IF 3.74)
Hou, L.*, Pan, Y., & Zhu, J.J.H. (2021). Impact of scientific, economic, geopolitical, and cultural factors on international research collaboration. Journal of Informetrics, 15(3), 101194. (SSCI, IF 5.107)
