Matthew Nisbet, CAMD Professor of Communication Studies and Affiliate Professor Public Policy and Urban Affairs, has conducted extensive research on climate change communication, studying the overlap between communication, science, and policy. His latest scholarly project was recently recognized as a finalist for the Association of American Publishers’ 2019 PROSE Awards, which recognizes the best among 58 different book categories. Nisbet’s The Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication (Oxford University Press) was one of three finalists in the Multivolume Reference/Science category.

The Encyclopedia, of which Nisbet served as the Editor-in-Chief, is a collection of more than a 100 in-depth review articles that critically evaluate the state-of-knowledge related to the effects of climate change communication on public opinion and policy decisions; journalistic coverage and media portrayals of climate change; communication strategies and campaigns; and the implications for effective communication, including those related to outreach and advocacy efforts.

Contributing authors to the three volume Encyclopedia represented more than a dozen disciplines and twenty countries. As collaborators, Nisbet recruited a team of Associate Editors on the project included Mike Schafer (University of Zurich, CH), Shirley Ho (Nanyang Technology University, SP), Saffron O’Neill (University of Exeter, UK), Ezra Markowitz (University of Massachusetts-Amherst, US), and Jagadish Thaker (Massey University, NZ).

“Until now there has not existed a leading scholarly outlet where the broad range of climate change communication, media and public opinion research is reviewed, synthesized, and critiqued; or translated in relation to other disciplines and professions,” says Nisbet. “Recognition by the PROSE awards is further evidence of the need for this ongoing work.”

Among related projects, Nisbet is currently writing a co-authored book to be published by Harvard University Press examining the impact of public intellectuals on debates over major societal problems such as climate change, income inequality, and digital technology.

Nisbet serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Environmental Communication; a consulting communication researcher for the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion, and is a regular columnist at Issues in Science and Technology magazine. He teaches courses on Political Communication, Media Advocacy and Communication Research, and Strategic Communication Capstone.