Paul Bolls is an associate professor of public relations and the associate director at the Center for Communication Research in the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University.

Previously, he was an associate professor in strategic communication and and co-director of the Psychological Research on Information and Media Effects (PRIME) Lab at the Missouri School of Journalism. The PRIME Lab is an experimental research lab dedicated to the study of cognitive and emotional processing of media.

Prior to joining the Missouri School of Journalism, Bolls taught and directed the Laboratory for the Study of Communication, Emotion and Cognition at Washington State University in Pullman. His work has been published in Communication Research, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Journal of Marketing Communications and Media Psychology. Bolls has presented his research to professional groups including the National Association of Broadcasters, Seattle Advertising Federation and Danish National Radio. He has served as the vice chair of the Information Systems division of ICA.