Michelle Reid

As a Master Lecturer, I teach undergraduate and graduate courses related to science in society, strategic/intentional science communication, designing communication materials and experiences for non-specialist audiences, and creating multimedia products for communicating science on different platforms. I have developed science communication training modules for government and academic researchers, science centres, and research centres through grants and contracts with NSERC and CIHR. I am currently working on a PhD project exploring the employment contexts, workplace responsibilities, and professional roles of science communicators across Canada.

• In progress: PhD in Human Studies and Interdisciplinarity, Laurentian University
• Master of Science Communication, Laurentian University
• Master of Science, McMaster University
• Bachelor of Arts and Science, McMaster University

• Master Lecturer, Laurentian University, 2023
• Adjunct Professor, Laurentian University, 2022
• Sessional Instructor, Laurentian University, 2017

I am currently investigating the skills, roles, responsibilities, and core competencies required by professional science communicators in their Canadian workplaces. The goal of this work is to gain a deeper understanding of the roles that our LUSciComm graduates fill across diverse work sectors, the nature of the work that they complete in these roles, the skills they use to do the work well, and their reflection on what it means to communicate science professionally. This work will inform our program's curriculum and will contribute to ongoing discussions within our field about the professionalization of science communication.

Teaching Excellence Award for Part-Time Faculty Members, Laurentian University, 2022

• Spoel, P., Reid, M., Cooke, E., & Copley, C. (2025). Risk Metaphors in Canadian COVID-19 Public Health Communication. Rhetoric of Health & Medicine, 8(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.5744/rhm.2025.2428
• Barriault, C., & Reid, M. (2023). The Communicate With Intent Framework. In S. Rowland and L. Kuchel (Eds.), Teaching Science Students to Communicate: A Practical Guide (pp. 361-367). Springer Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91628-2 
• S Reactivity of an oil sands composite tailings deposit undergoing reclamation wetland construction; Journal of Environmental Management, 2016 Jan 15;166:321-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.10.014