Hi, I’m Nan Li. I research how visuals shape how science is understood and trusted.
Nan Li is an associate professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is affiliated with the Robert F. and Jean E. Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies, the McPherson Eye Research Institute, the Office of Sustainability, and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. Li teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in visual communication and risk communication and advises students in both the master’s and PhD program in Science Communication.
Research
Li’s research examines how visual communication shapes the ways people understand and engage with science. Her recent work focuses on how scientific images and data visualizations are translated by the media, how widely circulated visuals (e.g., science photos and AI-generated illustrations) shape perceptions of credibility and the issues they depict, and how science art fosters emotional engagement and self-reflection in the context of environmental risk and justice.
Across this body of work, Li challenges traditional visual norms in science communication that prioritize technical accuracy and aesthetics. Instead, she collaborates with scientists, artists, and community partners to develop evidence-based strategies that center emotional resonance, co-creation, and community experience.
Her scholarship has been published on Science Communication, Visual Communication, Public Understanding of Science, Energy Policy, Climatic Change, and other leading journals, and her research and public engagement projects have been featured in over 30 domestic and international outlets, including Forbes, The Guardian, and PBS. Li’s interdisciplinary work has received support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other agencies. She recently partners with tribal communities, museums, and local organizations to curate exhibits and conduct community-based programs that highlight ecological knowledge and the artistic traditions of Wisconsin’s Native nations.
Li serves on the Scientific Committee of the Network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) and the Development Committee of the International Environmental Communication Association (IECA). At UW, she is a member of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Curriculum Committee and the Research Advisory Committee, and she also sits on the University Academic Planning Council (2025-2026).
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 – Science Communication from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
