Katherine McComas, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Communication
My research program examines how people communicate about health, science, and environmental risks. I am particularly interested in how risk communication influences people’s attitudes and behaviors, as well as incentives and barriers people face in the context of risk communication. My current research examines ways to develop risk messages that encourage greater awareness of the linkages between human, animal, and environmental health and well-being (“One Health”). It also focuses on public acceptability of risk in the context of new and renewable energy technologies.
Dominic Balog-Way, PhD, Research Associate, Dept. of Communication
Dominic holding a sea star at the Friday Harbor Laboratories, WA. (Photo: David O. Brown)
I am a social scientist working at the interface between risk communication, risk management and policymaking. I specialize in technological risk issues, especially those associated with pharmaceuticals, healthcare, food safety, and the environment. My recent work has focused on evidence-informed policymaking; transparency and big data in risk regulation; risk perception and decision-making; and risk-risk tradeoffs.
Josephine Martell, PhD, Assistant Research Professor, Public & Ecosystems Health; Associate Dean of Academics, Cornell Graduate School
My research examines how communication tools and tactics can be used to influence human behavior and lead to improved outcomes and policy for marginalized communities and wildlife. As a community-engaged scholar, my work focuses on addressing community-identified issues through shared research interests and social concerns.
Rebekah Wicke, PhD candidate, Dept. of Communication
My research primarily focuses on how the communication of scientific uncertainty influences risk perceptions and decision making in health and environmental contexts. I’m also interested in examining how messages can be used to help individuals imagine a wide range of events, such as the risk of developing cancer or experiencing a wildlife encounter, in such a way that helps them form accurate risk perceptions.
Sohinee Bera, PhD student, Dept. of Communication
My research focuses on health, risk, and environmental communication, at the intersection of well-being and inequity. I am particularly interested in why individuals might engage in seemingly risky health and environmental behaviors and understanding how structural and cultural mechanisms shape these choices. Using these insights, I hope to develop communication interventions that address unhealthy structural determinants of health.
Xuan Qian, PhD student, Dept. of Communication
My research examines how messages shape people’s perceptions of risk and how risk communication further impacts their information-seeking intentions and engagement behaviors, especially in the context of health and emerging technologies. I am also interested in understanding how psychological interactions—such as emotions, perceptions, and motivations—influence engagment in risk-related scenarios.
Julia Goolsby, PhD student, Dept. of Communication
I study how professionals working on environmental challenges communicate with each other about climate change and its associated risks. I am especially interested in how narrative and emotional content influence how individuals communicate about these risks. My research also examines how working professionals can learn from and incorporate risk communication research into the performance of their duties—and how researchers can design and conduct research that better serves this goal.
