Apoorva
Dr. Joshi (she/her) has always believed in the immense power of effective communication and storytelling, and has lived by the motto 'conservation through communication'. Born in Pune, India, she spent most of her childhood dreaming about forests, tigers, crocodiles and snakes. She has always been more at home in India’s diverse wilderness - in dacoit-inhabited rural ravines of the Chambal valley and in soaking wet rain-forests - than in her hometown of eight million people.
Previously a science journalist, and now an environmental social scientist, Apoorva applies her research skills as a Postdoctoral Associate in Decision Support at the Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota.
As a researcher, Dr. Joshi specializes in science, environmental, and risk communication; media psychology and media effects; environmental psychology; strategic communication; and decision-making and behavioral science. Her research interests and expertise are intentionally interdisciplinary given the multi-dimensional nature of the social-ecological problems she studies, and the real-world solutions needed to help mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Dr. Joshi’s work broadly examines how environmental, scientific, and risk issues are communicated through various media channels in diverse communities and in understudied regions of the world; how these mediated messages are processed psychologically; and how communication influences cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses. During her doctoral career, Dr. Joshi established a unique research agenda in conservation communication, exemplifying the value of interdisciplinary systems-thinking and of applying theories and methods from different disciplines to make important contributions to knowledge, science, and conservation practice. Her Ph.D. dissertation broke new ground by not only applying mass communication theories to explain conservation behaviors associated with preventing wildlife crime, but by also comparing two different theories in two different countries to help set the stage for future experimental work testing the effects of visual conservation campaigns on behavior.
She believes that understanding the science of communication is key to building trust, cultivating relationships, gauging public perceptions and opinions, and working together to design equitable effective interventions or solutions. By identifying social-psychological factors that drive or impede environmental behaviors, Dr. Joshi makes actionable evidence-based recommendations to conservation organizations, non-profits, and practitioners so that they can optimize their communication materials and develop more effective outreach strategies for maximizing impact among global and diverse audiences.
At IonE, Dr. Joshi evaluates the understandability and usability of existing visual science communication tools used to communicate about natural hazards, droughts, and climate factors, and conducts primary research to test these science communication graphics while making recommendations for redesigning or improving them for increased and intended impact.
With a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Pune, India, and a master’s degree in science journalism from the University of Montana, Missoula, Dr. Joshi previously had a career in journalism, eco-tourism, and environmental education. She earned her Ph.D. in Information and Media with a dual major in Environmental Science and Policy from Michigan State University where she also got a graduate certificate in conservation criminology and won a research grant from the National Geographic Society to lead a project on wildlife crime-related communication and behavior as a Co-P.I.
A born storyteller, Dr. Joshi has always had a knack for the written and spoken word. Growing up in India, she was exposed to a diverse, multicultural environment from a very young age. Her experiences living and working in different countries continues to enhance her understanding of cultural codes, ethics and dynamics in communication. As a journalist, her goal is to tell environmental stories from across the world to a wide audience using new-age media platforms and old-school reporting, ethics and vivid writing that is accurate and engaging. She aims to produce work that people everywhere can relate to, and to ultimately make a difference. Dr. Joshi has worked in various forms of media. Her print work has been published in children's magazines, newspapers, and academic journals, and her multi-media experience involves delivering live on-air radio newscasts, designing interactive maps and info-graphics, being a web producer, and covering international environmental news for Mongabay.com - a digital-only environmental news outlet.
Dr. Joshi currently lives in San Jose, California, in the United States and enjoys exploring the area’s thriving food, culture, and outdoor offerings with her husband and their dog, Burfee (named after an Indian dessert).