Dr. Laura Lindenfeld is Dean of the School of Communication & Journalism and Executive Director of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. She holds a Ph.D. in cultural studies from the University of California, Davis. As Dean, she oversees a faculty focused on conducting applied research and on educating communication and media professionals and science communicators. As Alda Center Executive Director, she oversees a dynamic organization that has worked with over 20,000 scientists worldwide. The Center provides international leadership in conducting and connecting research and practice to advance effective and empathic science communication. 

As a communication researcher, Dr. Lindenfeld’s work draws inspiration from the idea that we can make better, more informed decisions about how we shape our collective future. She is passionate about supporting scientists to communicate their work in more direct and engaging ways. Her work focuses on how we can advance meaningful, productive interactions with communities, stakeholders and decision-makers by strengthening linkages between knowledge and action. Much of Dr. Lindenfeld’s research focuses on environmental and sustainability communication. Her work seeks to understand how we can support effective stakeholder engagement and build strong interdisciplinary teams and communicate our science more effectively and persuasively. Dr. Lindenfeld’s work has appeared in a range of journals such as Science Communication, Ecology & Society, Environmental Communication, Sustainability Science, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, and Food & Foodways. Feasting Our Eyes. Food Films, and Cultural Identity in the United States (2016), her co-authored book with Fabio Parasecoli, was published by Columbia University Press.