I am a communication scholar in the field of communication and public perception of issues related to climate change, energy, science, risk, and the natural environment. I received my PhD from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and have an extensive background in research and teaching.

In 2022 I began my position as Associate Professor at CET, the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation as well as at the Department of Information Science and Media Studies, at the University of Bergen, Norway.

I conduct research on a wide range of topics related to public communication of environmental issues. My research focuses on understanding the ways in which the media frames and communicates information about, for example, climate change, energy sources, and other environmental issues, as well as how the public perceives and responds to this information. I also examine challenges that arise in a warming world, including how societies maintain shared understanding when common ground is crucial for example, for enabling collective action and effective governance.

During my PhD in Zurich, I worked with Prof. Dr. Heinz Bonfadelli and Prof. Dr. Mike S. Schäfer at the Department of Communication and Media Research. My PhD thesis, A Phase Model Elucidating Media Attention To Nuclear Energy Risk is published as a monograph and is available as open access.

After my PhD in Zurich, I spent almost two years at Northeastern University in Boston, USA, where I worked closely with Prof. Dr. Matthew Nisbet. This postdoc was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation's Early Postdoc.Mobility program. 

After my time in Boston she worked as an Assistant Professor at the State University of New York, at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York, USA.

Currently, I am working on a number of projects, including research on how the Norwegian media cover nuclear energy, and how the media cover the issue of climate change and food.

In addition to my research, I teach courses related to communication, the environment, and public perception.

Appointments:

• Associate Editor at the journal Environmental Communication
• 2024 - present Co-Chair of the section Science and Environment Communication at ECREA
• Immediate Past Chair of the Environmental Communication Division of the International Communication Association, ICA

I supervise MA theses and here are some suggested topics (and methods) I would be happy to supervise:

Food Systems and Climate Change

1. Media Framing of Food and Climate Change in Norway
   • You could conduct a media content analysis of how Norwegian media discuss food system sustainability and climate change.
2. Public Opinion on Sustainable Diets in Norway
   • Have a look at the amazing resource at DIGGSCORE and conduct a secondary data survey-based study on a topic that interests you, for example something connected to climate, risk, energy or environment.
3. The Role of Social Media in Shaping Perceptions of Sustainable Eating
   • You could conduct a qualitative interview study with Norwegian consumers on how social media influences their food choices regarding climate impact.
4. Corporate Climate Communication in the Food Industry
   • Dive into a media content analysis of how Norwegian food companies communicate their climate commitments and sustainability efforts.

Energy Technologies

1. The Media Debate on Nuclear Energy in Norway
   • Engage in the contested debate and conduct a media content analysis of how nuclear energy is discussed in Norwegian news coverage over time.
2. Public Support for Renewable Energy in Norway
   • Conduct a secondary data survey-based study (using DIGGSCORE) examining public attitudes toward energy sources.
3. Controversies Around Wind Power in Norwegian Media
   • A media content analysis of the framing of wind power projects and related conflicts.
4. Hydropower in the Norwegian Energy Debate
   • A qualitative interview study with policymakers, industry representatives, and environmental groups on the role of hydropower in Norway’s energy transition.

• MEVIX100: Introduksjon til media og kommunikasjon [Introduction to Media and Communication] (fall semester 2023) (bachelor level)
   
• MEVI310-8: Forskningserfaring og metode: Medias dekning av klimakrisa, årsakar og løysningar [Research experience and methods: Media coverage of the climate crisis, causes, and remedies] (spring semester 2023) (master level)
   
• MEVI222: Mediebruk: Identitet og samfunn [media use: identity and society] (fall semester 2022) (bachelor level)
   
• MEVI222B: Mediebruk: Identitet og samfunn - Bachelor thesis [media use: identity and society - bachelor thesis] (fall semester 2022) (bachelor level)

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

Mede, N. G., Cologna, V., Berger, S., C. Besley, J., Brick, C., Joubert, M., W. Maibach, E., Mihelj, S., Oreskes, N., S. Schäfer, M., van der Linden, S., Abdul Aziz, N. I., Abdulsalam, S., Abu Shamsi, N., Aczel, B., Adinugroho, I., Alabrese, E., Aldoh, A., … Kristiansen, S. ... Alfano, M. (2025). Public Communication about Science in 68 Countries: Global Evidence on How People Encounter and Engage with Information about Science. Science Communication, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10755470251376615

Bhatti, S., Ramasubramanian, S., Feldpausch-Parker, A., Takahashi, B., & Kristiansen, S. (2025). Critical environmental communication framework. Review of Communication, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/15358593.2025.2564675 

Das, A., Cordoba, D., Kristiansen, S., Velardi, S., Wonneberger, A., Yamaguchi, T., & Selfa, T. (2024). Sociotechnical imaginaries of gene editing in food and agriculture: A comparative content analysis of mass media in the United States, New Zealand, Japan, the Netherlands, and Canada. Public Understanding of Science, 34(5), 665-689. https://doi.org/10.1177/09636625241287392  

Cologna, V., Mede, N.G., Berger, S. [...] Kristiansen, S. et al. Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries. Nat Hum Behav 9, 713–730 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-02090-5 

Mede, N.G., Cologna, V., Berger, S. [...] Kristiansen, S. et al. Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries – the TISP dataset. Sci Data 12, 114 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-04100-7 

Kristiansen, S. (2024). Can Information Change People’s Mind? An Autoethnographic Reflection on my Personal Journey to Veganism. Environmental Communication, 18(3), 358–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2024.2315177 

Thomsen, M., van Dalen, A., Kristiansen, S., & Hopmann, D. N. (2023). Opportunity, motivation, and ability: how to increase people’s knowledge of pesticides and biocides. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 23(1–2), 52–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2023.2282476 

Singer, N. R., & Kristiansen, S. (2023). Communicating Transformation in Food and Agricultural Ecologies. Environmental Communication, 17(8), 861–867. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2023.2281651 

Ho, S. S., Singer, N. R., Yang, J. Z., Post, S., Shih, T.-J., Kristiansen, S., & Takahashi, B. (2023). Environmental Debates in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Media, Communication, and the Public. Environmental Communication.https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2023.2193025

Sareen, S., Girard, B., Lindkvist, M., Sveinsdottir, A., Kristiansen, S., Laterza, V., Aguilar-Støen, M., & Langhelle, O. (2023). Enabling a Just Energy Transition Through Solidarity in Research. Energy Research & Social Science.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103143

Ekoh, S., Teron, L., Ajibade, I., & Kristiansen, S. (2022). Flood Risk Perception and Future Migration Intensions of Lagos Residents. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.103399

Van Kempen, A., Kristiansen, S., & Feldpausch-Parker, A. M. (2022). Communicating Science, Technology, and Environmental Issues: A Case Study of an Intercultural Learning Experience. Frontiers in Communication, https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2022.805397

Bhatti, S. J., Billinson, P. P.,Cornell, L. A., Das, A., Gammon, C., Kelly, L. O., Yang, J,. & Kristiansen, S. (2022). Cross-Cultural Analysis of International Print Media’s Framing of the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Communication (IJoC) 16, 1282-13-8. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/17990/3701

Bhatti, S., Jones, B., Uppalapati, S. S., & Kristiansen, S. (2021). Major Media Outlets and Climate Change Action: Comparing US Media Coverage of the Green New Deal. Environmental Communication. doi:10.1080/17524032.2021.1995457

Kristiansen, S., Painter, J., & Shea, M. (2020). Animal Agriculture and Climate Change in the US and UK Elite Media: Volume, Responsibilities, Causes and Solutions. Environmental Communication. doi: 10.1080/17524032.2020.1805344

Painter, J., Brennen, J. S. & Kristiansen, S. (2020). The coverage of cultured meat in the US and UK traditional media, 2013–2019: drivers, sources, and competing narratives. Climatic Change 162, 2379–2396. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-020-02813-3

Ho, S. S., & Kristiansen, S. (2019). Environmental Debates over Nuclear Energy: Media, Communication, and the Public. Environmental Communication, 13(4), 431-439. doi: 10.1080/17524032.2019.1603018

Schäfer, M. S., Füchslin, T., Metag, J., Kristiansen, S., & Rauchfleisch, A. (2018). The Different Audiences of Science Communication. A Segmentation Analysis of the Swiss Population’s Perceptions of Science and their Information and Media Use Patterns. Public Understanding of Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662517752886

Painter, J., Kristiansen, S., & Schäfer, M. S. (2018). ‘Digital-born’ media and the coverage of the Paris climate summit. Global Environmental Change. Online November 17, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.11.003

Nisbet, Matthew C., Wihbey, John, Kristiansen, Silje, Bajak, Aleszu (2018). Funding the News: Foundations and Nonprofit Media. Published by the Shornstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School, in collaboration with Northeastern University’s School of Journalism. https://shorensteincenter.org/funding-the-news-foundations-and-nonprofit-media/

Kristiansen, S. (2017). Media and Risk. A Phase Model Elucidating Media Attention to Nuclear Energy Risk. Universitätsverlag Ilmenau, Ilmenau. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:gbv:ilm1-2017100025

Kovic, M., & Kristiansen, S. (2017). The gambler’s fallacy fallacy (fallacy). Journal of Risk Research. doi: 10.1080/13669877.2017.1378248

Kristiansen, S. (2017). Characteristics of the Mass Media's Coverage of Nuclear Energy and its Risk: A Literature Review. Sociology Compass, 11:e12490. doi: 10.1111/soc4.12490

Painter, James, Erviti, María Carmen, Fletcher, Richard, Howarth, Candice, Kristiansen, Silje, León, Bienvenido, Ouakrat, Alan, Russell, Adrienne, & Schäfer, Mike S. (Eds.) (2016). Something old, something new: Digital media and the coverage of climate change. Oxford.

Schäfer, Mike S., Kristiansen, Silje, Oukrat, Alan (2016). New players and old: Volume of coverage and themes. In: Painter, James, Erviti, María Carmen, Fletcher, Richard, Howarth, Candice, Kristiansen, Silje, León, Bienvenido, Ouakrat, Alan, Russell, Adrienne, Schäfer, Mike S. (Eds.) (2016): Something old, something new: Digital media and the coverage of climate change. Oxford, pp. 47-62.

Kristiansen, S., Schäfer, M. S., & Lorencez, S. (2016). Science journalists in Switzerland: Results from a survey on professional goals, working conditions, and current changes. Studies in Communication Sciences. Online November 23, 2016. doi.org/10.1016/j.scoms.2016.10.004

Kristiansen, S., Bonfadelli, H., & Kovic, M. (2016). Risk Perception of Nuclear Energy after Fukushima. Stability and Change in Public Opinion in Switzerland. International Journal of Public Opinion Research. Online August 25, 2016. doi: 10.1093/ijpor/edw021

Schäfer, Mike S., Kristiansen, Silje, Bonfadelli, Heinz (Eds.) (2015). Wissenschaftskommunikation im Wandel. [Changes in Science Communication.] Köln.

Schäfer, Mike S., Kristiansen, Silje, Bonfadelli, Heinz (2015). Wissenschaftskommunikation im Wandel: Relevanz, Entwicklung und Herausforderungen des Forschungsfeldes [Science Communication in Transformation: Relevance, Development and Challenges in the Research Field] In: Schäfer, Mike S., Kristiansen, Silje, Bonfadelli, Heinz (Eds). Wissenschaftskommunikation im Wandel. [Changes in Science Communication.] Köln, pp. 10-42.

Kristiansen, Silje, Bonfadelli, Heinz (2014). Risikoberichterstattung und Risikoperzeption. Reaktionen von Medien und Bevölkerung in der Schweiz auf den AKW-Unfall in Fukushima. [Media Risk Coverage and Risk Perception. Reactions of the Media and the Population in Switzerland on the Nuclear Accident in Fukushima.] In: Wolling, Jens, Arlt, Dorothee (Eds.): Fukushima und die Folgen – Medienberichterstattung, Öffentliche Meinung, Politische Konsequenzen. [Fukushima and its Consequences – Media Coverage, Public Opinion, Political Consequences.] Ilmenau, pp. 297−321.

Kristiansen, Silje, Bonfadelli, Heinz (2013). Radioaktive Strahlung ist unsichtbar, löst aber einen Klimawandel in der Bevölkerungsmeinung aus − Meinungsklima, Risikoeinschätzung und Informationsverhalten im Nachgang zu Fukushima. [Ionizing Radiation is Invisible, but Starts an Opinion Change in the Population – Opinion Climate, Risk Perception and Information Behaviour after Fukushima.] In: atw International Journal for Nuclear Power 58, no. 4, pp. 242–247.

Kristiansen, Silje, Bonfadelli, Heinz (2013). E-Health: Gesundheit im Internet. [E-Health: Health on the Internet.] In: Rossmann, Constanze, Hastall, Matthias R. (Eds.): Medien und Gesundheitskommunikation. Befunde, Entwicklungen, Herausforderungen. [The Media and Health Communication. Results, Developments, Challenges.] Baden-Baden, pp. 237−255.

Bonfadelli, Heinz, Kristiansen, Silje (2013). Meinungen zu Atomenergie und den darin involvierten Akteuren. Ergebnisse einer Studie im Auftrag des Eidgenössischen Nuklearsicherheitsinspektorats. [Opinion on Nuclear Energy and on the Stakeholders Involved. Results of a Study on Behalf of The Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate.] In: Bulletin. Fachzeitschrift von Electrosuisse und VSE 104, no. 4, pp. 12–15.

Kristiansen, Silje (2013). Nucleare, su cosa puntano i media. [Nuclear energy and the focus of the media.] In: EJO − European Journalism Observatory. 11.11.2013

Kristiansen, Silje (2013). Steht Risiko drauf, wo Risiko drin ist? [Is Risk Labelled as Such?] In: EJO − European Journalism Observatory. 28.10.2013

• Collaborator on the international study "Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism" together with Prof. Dr. Håvard Haarstad.