Profile

Matthew Nisbet

Associate Professor
School of Communication

  • Professor Nisbet is a social scientist who studies the role of communication in policymaking and public affairs, focusing on debates related to science, sustainability, and public health. He is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed studies, book chapters, and monographs. He also writes and edits the Age of Engagement blog at Big Think.

    Nisbet has been a Health Policy Investigator at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a Google Science Communication Fellow. In 2011, the editors at the journal Nature recommended Nisbet's research as “essential reading for anyone with a passing interest in the climate change debate,” and the New Republic highlighted his work as a “fascinating dissection of the failures of climate change activism.” Since 2002, his scholarship has been cited more than 700 times in the peer-reviewed literature and in more than 200 books.

    At American, he directs the Climate Shift Project, an interdisciplinary network of faculty and students producing research on the debates over climate change and energy policy.

  • Degrees

    A.B. Dartmouth College (Government); M.S. Cornell University (Communication); Ph.D. Cornell University (Communication)

  • Favorite Spot on Campus:

    AU library's collaborative study rooms

  • OFFICE

  • SOC - School of Communication
  • McCabe - 220

  • CONTACT INFO

  • (202) 885-2104 (Office)
  • Send email Profile UserID

  • FOR THE MEDIA

  • To request an interview for a
    news story, call AU Communications
    at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Partnerships & Affiliations

Show Full Gallery

Teaching

  • Spring 2012

Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities

Selected Publications

*See Google Scholar for complete list of publications.

2011

Scheufele, D.A & Nisbet, M.C. (in press). Online News and the Demise of Political Disagreement. Communication Yearbook.

Nisbet, M.C., Maibach, E. & Leiserowitz, A. (2011). Framing Peak Petroleum as a Public Health Problem: Audience Research and Public Engagement. American Journal of Public Health, 101: 1620-1626.

Nisbet, M.C. (2011).  Public Opinion and Political Participation.  In D. Schlosberg, J. Dryzek, & R. Norgaard (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Climate Change and Society.  London, UK: Oxford University Press.

Fahy, D. & Nisbet, M.C. (2011).  The Science Journalist Online: Shifting Roles and Emerging Practices.  Journalism: Theory, Practice, Criticism, 12: 778-793.

Nisbet, M.C. & Feldman, L. (2011).  The Social Psychology of Political Communication.  In D. Hook, B. Franks and M. Bauer (Eds), The Social Psychology of Communication.  London: Palgrave MacMillian.

Besley J. & Nisbet, M.C. (2011). How Scientists View the Public, the Media, and the Political Process. Public Understanding of Science. 

Nisbet, M.C. (2011, April). Climate Shift: Clear Vision for the Next Decade of Public Debate. Washington, D.C.: School of Communication, American University.

Maibach, E., Nisbet, M.C., & Weathers, M. (2011, April). Conveying the Human Implications of Climate Change: A Climate Change Communication Primer for Public Health Professionals. Fairfax, VA: Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University

2010

Maibach, E., Nisbet, M.C., Baldwin, P., Akerlof, K. & Diao, G. (2010).  Reframing Climate Change as a Public Health Issue: An Exploratory Study of Public Reactions.  BMC Public Health, 10: 299.

Nisbet, M.C. (2010). Civic Education About Climate Change: Opinion-Leaders, Communication Infrastructure, and Participatory Culture. Commissioned White Paper in support of the National Academies Roundtable on Climate Change Education. Washington.

Zarzeczny, A., Rachul, C., Nisbet, M.C., & Caulfield, T. (2010). Stem Cell Clinics in the News. Nature Biotechnology, 28, 12, 1243-46.

Nisbet, M.C., Hixon, M., Moore, K.D., & Nelson, M. (2010).  The Four Cultures: New Synergies for Engaging the Public on Climate Change.  Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 8, 329-331.

Groffman, P., Stylinksi, C., Nisbet M.C. et al. (2010).  Restarting the Conversation: Challenges at the Interface of Science and Society.  Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 8, 284-291.

2009

Nisbet, M.C. (2009). Communicating Climate Change: Why Frames Matter to Public Engagement.  Environment, 51 (2), 12-23.

Nisbet, M.C. & Scheufele, D.A. (2009).  What's Next for Science Communication?  Promising Directions and Lingering Distractions.  American Journal of Botany, 96 (10), 1767-1778.

Nisbet, M.C. (2009). Knowledge Into Action: Framing the Debates Over Climate Change and Poverty.  In P. D'Angelo and J. Kuypers, (Eds.), Doing News Framing Analysis:  Empirical, Theoretical, and Normative Perspectives.  New York: Routledge.

Bubela, T., Nisbet, M.C. et al. (2009). Science Communication Re-Considered.  Nature Biotechnology, 27, 514-518.

Nisbet, M.C. & Kotcher, J. (2009).  A Two Step Flow of Influence?  Opinion-Leader Campaigns on Climate Change.  Science Communication, 30, 328-354.

Nisbet, M.C. (2009). Framing Science: A New Paradigm in Public Engagement.  In L. Kahlor and P. Stout (Eds.), Communicating Science: New Agendas in Communication (40-67).  New York: Routledge.

Nisbet, M.C. (2009).  The Ethics of Framing Science.  In B. Nerlich, B. Larson, & R. Elliott (Eds.). Communicating Biological Sciences: Ethical and Metaphorical Dimensions (pp. 51-74). London: Ashgate. 

Grants and Sponsored Research

2010  

Nathan Cummings Foundation. What's Next After Cap and Trade? Evaluating Resources, Strategies, and Best Practices in Climate Change Communication. PI ($100,000).

2009

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Mobilizing Citizen Support for Climate Stabilization & Adaptation Policies. PI with Edward Maibach ($334,978).

 

CURRICULUM VITAE

Download (PDF)

AU Expert

Area of Expertise: Political communication; public opinion research; intersection between media, politics, and science and environmental issues; citizen activism

Additional Information: Matthew C. Nisbet, PhD, is a social scientist who studies strategic communication in policy making and public affairs with a focus on debates over science, the environment, and public health. His research on climate change communication has been funded by the Nathan Cummings Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where he serves as a health policy investigator.  In an editorial, the journal Nature called Nisbet's research "essential reading for anyone with a passing interest in the climate change debate."  In 2011, Nisbet was named a Google Science Communication Fellow for his work in this area.  In a second line of research, Nisbet focuses on general questions related to political communication, including the role that new and traditional media play in mobilizing citizens; how strategists take advantage of new technologies and a fragmented media system to target opinion leaders and specialized audiences; and how church, work, or other community influences shape media choices and political views. Nisbet is the author or coauthor of more than 35 research articles and book chapters and serves on the editorial boards for the International Journal of Press/Politics and Science Communication. A veteran of more than 100 media interviews, his commentary and analysis has appeared at leading print and broadcast outlets such as the New York Times, National Public Radio, and BBC radio. He holds an MS/PhD in Communication from Cornell University and an AB in Government from Dartmouth College.

Media Relations
To request an interview please call AU Media Relations at 202-885-5950 or submit an interview request form.

AU News and Achievements

Newly Updated AUPedia

RSS
More AUpedia Entries