Nan Li

Nan Li is an associate professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an affiliate of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, the McPherson Eye Research Institute, and the Robert F. and Jean E. Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies.

Li’s latest research focuses on the intersection of science and art, exploring how AI-generated imagery, Indigenous visual storytelling, and other artistic approaches can enhance public engagement with scientific information. Her work is particularly concerned with how non-verbal messaging can bridge divides in public opinion on critical issues like climate change and sustainability.

She currently serves on the Scientific Committee of the Network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST), the Development Committee of the International Environmental Communication Association (IECA) and is the Research Co-Chair of the Visual Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Li has published widely on such outlets as Science Communication, Public Understanding of Science, Energy Policy, Climatic Change, among others. Her research efforts, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wisconsin Sea Grant, Texas Department of Agriculture etc., have been featured in over 30 domestic and international outlets, such as Forbes, The Guardian, and PBS.

Before joining LSC, Li held a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communications at Texas Tech University and was a Joan Bossert Postdoctoral Fellow in the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Ph.D. in mass communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

A list of her publications can be found on Google Scholar.