Catherine Lambert

Catherine Lambert is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Northeastern University, researching science, risk, and environmental communication. Her work investigates the relationships between people and their environments, and how these place-based relationships influence responses to environmental and technological change. In contexts ranging from renewable energy acceptance, to natural hazards and social media, to responses to climate change hazards in underserved communities, her work identifies drivers of public concern and risk-related behaviors in order to inform strategic communication and public engagement efforts. In her research on deep geothermal energy development, she investigates how legacies of past extractive industries, visions of energy futures, and narratives of “the underworld” influence responses to subterranean technologies.

As part of this work, she cofounded the GEOHUB collaboration between Cornell University, King’s College London, Edinburgh University, and Sterling University, investigating policy and engagement challenges in geothermal development. Before joining the faculty at Northeastern, Dr. Lambert served as a lecturer in the Department of Communication at Cornell University. She has a PhD in Communication and a Masters in Geology from Cornell, along with a BS in Geology and BA in Creative Writing from the University of Rochester. Her work has been supported by awards including an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant.