Experts

Matthew C. Nisbet

Professor of Communication, American University

Interview with Matthew C. Nisbet July 28, 2010
Full Interview 27:57 Discuss
Is This an Age of Engagement or Distraction? 3:10 Discuss
Is the Internet Making Us Smarter or Stupider? 4:33 Discuss
Bloggers Need Traditional Media 4:59 Discuss
Why Internet Rumors Spread So Quickly 3:14 Discuss
How the Oil Spill Has Changed Public Opinion 2:24 Discuss
Are Atheists or Believers Better Bloggers? 5:06 Discuss
Reinventing the System to Engage the Public 4:31 Discuss
Other Ideas from Nisbet
Matthew Nisbet On Public Relations for Science 2:00 Discuss
Matthew Nisbet On Balancing Education and Entertainment 3:18 Discuss
Matthew Nisbet On Studying Audience Behavior 3:15 Discuss
Matthew Nisbet Explains "The Paradigm Sheep" 2:27 Discuss
Matthew Nisbet On Crisis Management 101 1:02 Discuss
Matthew Nisbet Outlines Successful Strategies 4:33 Discuss
Matthew Nisbet Weighs The Pros and Cons of Richard Dawkins 4:49 Discuss
Matthew Nisbet On How to Communicate the Climate Crisis 3:24 Discuss
Wagging the Dog: Media and Public Policy 3:31 Discuss
Matthew Nisbet Discusses A Case Study in Pharmaceutical PR 4:29 Discuss
Matthew Nisbet On Barack Obama as Master Communicator 2:16 Discuss

Recent Activity

February 10, 2012
Matthew wrote Reading List for Course on Science and Environmental Communication in Age of Engagement
This semester, students from a diversity of majors at American University are participating in an advanced seminar I am teaching on science and environmental communication. For the first part of t... Read More 
January 27, 2012
Matthew wrote Field Notes from a Summit on Climate Change Communication in Age of Engagement
On January 19-21, the University of Michigan's Erb Institute and the Union of Concerned Scientists hosted a major summit of more than 100 social scientists, scientists, professionals, and politica... Read More 
January 23, 2012
Matthew wrote A Dangerous Method: Jung, Freud, and the Pursuit of Scientific Legitimacy in Age of Engagement
--Guest post by Declan Fahy, AoE’s Science and Culture correspondent. Writer David Milch, a creator of NYPD Blue and Deadwood, was quoted in a talk by author Michael Crichton as saying that the... Read More 
January 18, 2012
Matthew wrote Food Stamp President? The Science of Why Gingrich's Race-Tinged Label Sticks in Age of Engagement
In Monday's GOP primary debate, Newt Gingrich earned praise from conservatives while drawing justifiable anger from many for his labeling of Barack Obama as the "food stamp president."  As the for... Read More 
January 11, 2012
Matthew wrote Reasons to Doubt Claims About Anti-Science in America in Age of Engagement
The polarized state of American politics has once again brought speculation and claims about a rising tide of anti-science in America and an attack on reason.  The prominence of such claims will o... Read More 

About Matthew C. Nisbet

Matthew C. Nisbet

Matthew C. Nisbet, Ph.D. is Associate Professor in the School of Communication at American University, Washington, D.C. and writer of the Age of Engagement blog at Big Think.

As a social scientist, Nisbet studies strategic communication in policy-making and public affairs, focusing on debates over complex policy problems like energy and climate change. Nisbet holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Communication from Cornell University and an AB in Government from Dartmouth College.

He is the author of more than 35 journal articles and book chapters, and he serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Press/Politics and Science Communication. His scholarship has been cited more than 500 times in the peer-reviewed literature and in more than 150 books.

At American University, Nisbet co-led a team of faculty which founded the Doctor of Philosophy program in Communication, an interdisciplinary curriculum designed around the intersections of media, technology, and democracy. The program combines social scientific and humanistic approaches to the study of communication, analyzing the complex interactions among the news media, entertainment media, digital communications, nonprofit organizations, government, and business. Visit the program's web site for more information and to apply.

Nisbet's research on the climate change and energy debates is funded by the Nathan Cummings Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He is also an inaugural member of the Google Science Communication Fellows program. A 2011 editorial at the journal Nature recommended Nisbet's research as "essential reading for anyone with a passing interest in the climate change debate."

At American University, Nisbet directs the Climate Shift Project, an initiative producing interdisciplinary research and independent media examining the climate change and energy debates. Climate Shift’s network of social scientists, scholars and professionals work with a diversity of organizations and agencies; train students, researchers and leaders; and convene forums and events that engage the Washington, D.C. community.

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