Emily Howell, PhD is an interdisciplinary social scientist who has developed and led research and research-practice partnerships in (among others) filmmaking, science museums, philanthropy, and other organizations involved in science research, communication, and education. Her research focuses on science communication for controversial issues and how science and perceptions of science shape, hinder or support civic engagement and democratic decision-making in the US.

Howell developed the learning program and related events for the Civic Science Fellows Program to support stronger relationships in science and civic life, and helped shape the Association of Science and Technology Centers’ Community Science Framework. Her work also informed the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s (NASEM) consensus report on reproducibility and replicability in science and the NASEM roundtable on collaborating with communities on COVID-19 and climate. Howell has a PhD in Environment & Resources and Science Communication from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA in History of Science from Harvard. She is based in her hometown of Missoula, MT.