Andrew Binder

Andrew R. Binder is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University, serving as Director of Graduate Programs and Advisor for the Undergraduate Minor in Science Communication. He also co-directs the Community Engagement Core at the Center for Human Health & the Environment. His research focuses on science communication around controversial topics like genetic engineering, water reuse, and nanotechnology, emphasizing how information dissemination impacts public understanding and risk perception. Key projects include national surveys on reclaimed water use, meta-analyses of sexting behaviors, and stakeholder engagement around GMO American chestnut trees.

• Education: B.A. French (2001), M.S. Life Sciences Communication (2007), Ph.D. Mass Communications (2010), all from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Grants: Over $6M in NIH funding for environmental health research, USDA grants for food safety and SARS-CoV-2 management, and NSF support for biotechnology governance studies.

Research interests include environmental health literacy, particularly among marginalized communities, and the role of communication in mediating public acceptance of emerging technologies. His work bridges communication theory with practical applications in policy and community engagement, such as developing agent-based models to simulate water reuse adoption and designing online platforms for stakeholder dialogue on nano-agrifoods.

Publications span journals like Science Communication, Risk Analysis, and Journal of Health Communication, addressing topics from DNA testing ethics to food safety messaging. Current projects include analyzing social media discourse around direct-to-consumer genetic testing and evaluating public perceptions of CRISPR-edited crops.

• Lab/Teams: Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams at NC State's Center for Human Health & the Environment and the Genetic Engineering and Society Center.