Risa Aria Schnebly
Writer. Researcher. Storyteller.
I am an interdisciplinary researcher, science communicator, and nonfiction writer interested in ecology, environmental history, and climate justice. I work to bring the humanity into science, and reveal the interdependence of humans and nature across my work.
Researcher
I do research at the intersection of environmental humanities, social science, and environmental history.
As a PhD candidate in the Biology and Society program at Arizona State University, my dissertation focuses on ecological grief in endangered species conservation, and I am writing my dissertation as a creative nonfiction book manuscript.
As the Chair of the Evidence and Impact committee for Revive, a working group with the Society for Conservation Biology, I coordinate an international team of researchers working to support conservationists' mental health.
Science Writer & Communicator
In 2025, I was selected as a AAAS Mass Media Fellow, and worked as an environmental reporter for Cascadia Daily News. I have also worked as a science writer for ASU News, the Embryo Project Encyclopedia, and Ask a Biologist, and have written a number of freelance articles.
Beyond writing, I have experience as an editor, fact checker, social media manager, storytelling coach, and science communication event coordinator. I also host and edit the podcast SciChronicles.
