Christine Gilbert was recently jointly appointed as an assistant professor of climate communication at the School of Communication and Journalism (SoCJ) and Alda Center for Communicating Science, and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS).
Gilbert, a doctoral candidate from the University of Connecticut, brings expertise in understanding how people make sense of and respond to the challenges of climate change.
“Climate change is the most significant challenge facing our species and the planet, and how we engage each other around the risks and mitigation strategies across all communication challenges will matter to how we adapt and survive,” said Laura Lindenfeld, dean of the SoCJ and executive director of the Alda Center. “We are thrilled that Christine will join the SoCJ and SoMAS to help more closely connect our research efforts and the impact those efforts will have.”
Gilbert will contribute to a growing portfolio of research at the SoCJ, support similar efforts at SoMAS, and help to more closely connect the two schools together. Already, many graduate students at SoMAS take science communication classes offered at the SoCJ, and SoCJ faculty have collaborated on several national grants led by SoMAS researchers.
“We are now at a turning point in the global climate change communication challenge, where we are changing the conversation to a positive one, about the great opportunities we have to build a new green economy around renewable energy, and Stony Brook and New York State are leading that charge,” said Paul Shepson, dean of SoMAS. “We are delighted to have a scholar of Christine’s caliber and breadth to join the Stony Brook team and help us lead the world forward. This is an exciting time and we are delighted to welcome Christine.”
Gilbert’s research focuses on how people – across gender, political ideology, socioeconomic status and media habits – respond to risks and challenges related to climate change and extreme weather events.
She has published papers in the Journal of Emergency Management, Risk Analysis, Environmental Communication and the Atlantic Journal of Communication, among others. She has worked on research projects funded by the National Science Foundation and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
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