Jagadish Thaker

JT or JAGADISH THAKER (Ph.D., George Mason University) is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland. He is an affiliate researcher with the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University. His research examines ways to understand and enhance public, business, and policy engagement with climate change and public health. He specializes in the fields of science and climate change communication, health communication, and strategic communication campaigns.

Dr. Thaker is the Associate Editor of the 3 Volumes of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication (2018), Oxford University Press, and Co-Editor of International Trends in Environmental Communication (2021), Routledge.

Dr. JT Thaker has received over $1.01 million in funding as a PI or a Co-PI from the government (MBIE, National Science Challenges) and other organisations (Stichting SED Fund).

His research was covered by over 1000 media outlets, including The Guardian, The New York Times, Reuters, CNN, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, New Zealand Herald, and The Hindu. He has appeared several times on national TV and radio in New Zealand. His research was featured by the Royal Society of New Zealand.

He has won several awards, including the 2022 Golden Anniversary Monograph Award from the National Communication Association, the 2023 and 2022 Top Paper Awards in Environmental Communication from the International Communication Association, the 2021 Outstanding PhD Aulmus from the George Mason University’s Department of Communication, Massey Business School’s Excellence in Research award, and the Top 40 under 40 inspiring teachers award from The Indian Express, a leading newspaper in India. His co-edited book, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication, was a finalist in the Association of American Publishers’ 2019 PROSE Award.

He has served as an expert reviewer or jury for the National Geographic Society, Canada Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC), European Science Foundation, and Health Research Council New Zealand, among other funding agencies.