Iasmim Amiden dos Santos is a Ph.D. student in the School of Journalism at MSU. She is from Brazil and obtained her BA in Journalism at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (2017) and her MSc in Science Communication and Public Engagement at the University of Edinburgh (UK) (2022) and was awarded a Chevening Scholarship (2021-2022). Read more here.

Nic Bennett completed their doctoral work in inclusive science communication in the Ph.D. program at The Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations at The University of Texas. Their work is at the intersection of science communication, applied theater, and social justice. Before this, they researched climate change conservation biology while earning their Masters in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from The University of Texas. Read more here.

Leigh Anne Tiffany is a Ph.D. candidate at Michigan State University in the Information & Media and Environmental Science & Policy programs. Specifically, she researches topics around science communication. Most recently she was the Communications Specialist for Defenders of Wildlife in Washington, D.C. Read more here.

Qucheng (Chris) Zhang joins the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism with degrees in Communication and Engineering from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. He is interested in the study of social issues like economic growth and public opinion, especially in relation to environmental issues. Read more here.

Julia Belden is a Journalism MA student at Michigan State University. She has a B.A. in Zoo & Wildlife Biology (2012) from Malone University and a B.S. in Integrative Studies (2024) from Grand Valley State University. Julia spent a decade working at zoos and aquariums, where she cared for a variety of animals, from butterflies to beluga whales. Not surprisingly, Julia’s experience as a zookeeper influences her current work, and her research interests involve media coverage of human/animal interactions within the context of climate change. 

Read about Dr. Duan's work here.

Read about Dr. Joshi's work here.

Read about Dr. Van Witsen's work here.

Wenzhu Li is a doctoral student at Indiana University. Read more about her work here.

Shreya Dubey is a doctoral student at the University of Amsterdam. Read more about her work here.