Dr. Brenda McNally

Brenda McNally is a Research Ireland Pathway Fellow, a Fulbright Scholar, Vice Chair of the RIA Multidisciplinary Committee for Climate and Environmental Science (2026 - 2030) and PI on Tackling Climate Misinformation (CliME) a four-year project investigating the evolution and (re)production of climate obstruction discourses about decarbonising agriculture and food systems.

She is an interdisciplinary social scientist specialising in climate and information politics, environmental communication and media studies.

Her research explores the role of media and communication in advancing climate action, public understanding, and shaping imaginaries of just transitions and climate futures. This work provides insights for broadening public engagement with climate policy as well as fostering democratic debate in response to rising climate misinformation and the influence of AI tools. A second line of research research explores the implications of emerging media technologies for environmental communication practice.

Prior to joining DCU in 2026 she was an Assistant Professor in Global Media, University of Galway. Earlier in her career she spent time as a postdoctoral researcher at Arizona State University, University College Dublin and as a PI on an EPA funded research project in Trinity College Dublin. She was also an Assistant Professor in the School of Communciations, DCU (2016 - 2018).