Viktoria Cologna

Curriculum vitae

For more information see: https://www.viktoriacologna.com/

03/2024 –	Postdoctoral Researcher Weather and Climate Risks Group, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich
02/2024 –	Postdoctoral Researcher Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ), University of Zurich
10/2023 –	Research Fellow Centre for Advanced Studies SOCRATES, Leibniz Universität Hannover
01/2022 – 12/2023	Postdoctoral Fellow Department of the History of Science, Harvard University
11/2021 – 12/2021	Postdoctoral Researcher Climate Physics Group, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich
2018 – 2021	PhD student Consumer Behavior Group, ETH Zurich
02/2020 – 05/2020	Visiting researcher Department of the History of Science, Harvard University
2014 – 2018	MEnv., BSc., Sustainability and Environmental Management (International), First-class degree with Honours, University of Leeds
2016 – 2017	Exchange student – Swiss-European Mobility Program Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich

Research interests

Climate change communication
Environmental psychology
Pro-environmental behavior
Public opinion on science
Science in policymaking

PUBLICATIONS

Thesis

Cologna, V. (2021). The Role of Trust, Confidence and Expert Credibility for Climate Change Mitigation [Doctoral Thesis, ETH Zurich]. https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000519836

Publications in peer-reviewed journals

15. Nielsen, K.S., Cologna, V., Bauer, J.M., Berger, S., Brick, C., Dietz, T., Hahnel, U.J.J., Henn, L., Lange, F., Stern, P.C., & Wolske, K.S. (2024, in press). Realizing the full potential of behavioral science for climate change mitigation. Nature Climate Change.

14. Cologna, V. (2024, in press). A reflection on non-epistemic values in environmental psychology research. Umweltpsychologie. Preprint: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/szymp

13. Berthold, A., Cologna, V., Hardmeier, M., & Siegrist, M. (2023). Drop some money! The influence of income and subjective financial scarcity on pro-environmental behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 91, 102149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102149

12. Cologna, V., Baumberger, C., Knutti, R., Oreskes, N., & Berthold, A. (2022) The communication of value judgements and its effects on climate scientists’ perceived trustworthiness. Environmental Communication, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2022.2153896

11. Kaurov, A.A., Cologna, V.*, Tyson, C.*, & Oreskes, N. (2022). Trends in American scientists’ political donations and implications for trust in science. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1), https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01382-3 *Authors contributed equally

10. Cologna, V., & Oreskes, N. (2022). Don’t gloss over social science! A response to: Glavovic et al. (2021) ‘the tragedy of climate change science’. Climate and Development, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2022.2076647

9. Berthold, A., Cologna, V., & Siegrist, M. (2022). The influence of scarcity perception on people’s pro-environmental behavior and their readiness to accept new sustainable technologies. Ecological Economics, 196, 107399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107399

8. Du Toit, M. J., Rendón, O., Cologna, V., Cilliers, S. S., & Dallimer, M. (2022). Why home gardens fail in enhancing food security and dietary diversity. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, 804523. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.804523

7. Cologna, V., Berthold, A., & Siegrist, M. (2022). Knowledge, perceived potential and trust as determinants of low- and high-impact pro-environmental behaviours. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 79, 101741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101741

6. Cologna, V., Hoogendoorn, G., & Brick, C. (2021). To strike or not to strike? An investigation of the determinants of strike participation at the Fridays for Future climate strikes in Switzerland. PLOS ONE, 16(10), e0257296. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257296

5. Lange, F., Nielsen, K. S., Cologna, V., Brick, C., & Stern, P. C. (2021). Making theory useful for understanding high-impact behavior. A response to van Valkengoed et al. (2021). Journal of Environmental Psychology, 75, 101611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101611

4. Nielsen, K.S.*, Cologna, V.*, Lange, F.*, Brick, C.*, & Stern, P.* (2021). The call for impact-focused environmental psychology. Journal of Environmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101559 *Authors contributed equally

3. Cologna, V., Knutti, R., Oreskes, N., & Siegrist, M. (2021). Majority of German citizens, US citizens and climate scientists support policy advocacy by climate researchers and expect greater political engagement. Environmental Research Letters, 16(2), 024011. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abd4ac

2. Cologna, V., & Siegrist, M. (2020). The role of trust for climate change mitigation and adaptation behaviour: A meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 69, 101428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101428

1. Cologna, V., Bark, R. H., & Paavola, J. (2017). Flood risk perceptions and the UK media: Moving beyond “once in a lifetime” to “Be Prepared” reporting. Climate Risk Management, 17, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2017.04.005

Book chapter

Cologna, V., Bark, R. H., & Paavola, J. (2018). The Role of Risk Perceptions in Climate Change Communication: A Media Analysis on the UK Winter Floods 2015/2016. In W. Leal Filho, E. Manolas, A. M. Azul, U. M. Azeiteiro, & H. McGhie (Eds.), Handbook of Climate Change Communication: Vol. 2: Practice of Climate Change Communication (pp. 277–288). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70066-3_18

Pre-prints

5. Cologna, V., Mede, N.G., Berger, S., Besley, J., Brick, C., Joubert, M., Maibach, E. W., Mihelj, S., Oreskes, N., Schäfer, M.S., van der Linden, S., et al. Trust in scientists and their role in society across 67 countries. Preprint: https://osf.io/preprints/osf/6ay7s

4. Mede, N.G.*, Cologna, V.*, Berger, S., Besley, J., Brick, C., Joubert, M., Maibach, E. W., Mihelj, S., Oreskes, N., Schäfer, M.S., van der Linden, S., et al. Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 67 countries – the TISP dataset. *Authors contributed equally Preprint: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/jktsy

3. Cologna, V., Kotcher, J., Mede, N.G., Besley, J., Maibach, E., & Oreskes, N. Trust in climate science and scientists: a qualitative review. Major revisions submitted to Plos Climate. Preprint: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/hj2xk/

2. Dablander, F.*, Sachisthal, M.* Cologna, V., Grüning, N., Strahm, N., Brick, C., Green, A., Aron, A.R. & Haslbeck, J.* Climate Change Engagement by Scientists. *Authors contributed equally Preprint: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/73w4s

1. Suter, M., Strahm, N., Bundeli, T., Kaessner, K., Cologna, V., & Berger, S. Observation of framing effects in expert assessments about optimal GDP development. Preprint: https://osf.io/preprints/osf/q4rwm

AWARDS

09/2023	Best Data Collection: Quantitative granted by the MRS, the world’s leading association for market research and analysis, for the global survey project “Trust in Science and Science-Related Populism” (TISP) with Bilendi & respondi and Niels G. Mede.
11/2022	FUTURA – Award to honor young, talented South Tyroleans who have particularly distinguished themselves in their professional activities outside South Tyrol. – 6.666 €
07/2018	Engagement in Research Prize for achieving beyond the level of research expected at undergraduate level (University of Leeds).
07/2018	Sally Macgill Memorial Prize awarded to graduating students on an undergraduate environment program who achieve the best mark in their final year project (University of Leeds).
07/2018	David Kay Prize for outstanding performance in the dissertation module (University of Leeds).
12/2017	School of Earth and Environment attainment prize for high academic achievement (University of Leeds).
08/2016	Merit scholarship issued by the Province of South Tyrol, Italy, for excellent academic achievement in the natural sciences at a university outside of Italy – 1'160€

GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS

03/2024	The Rockefeller Foundation grant. PI: Naomi Oreskes	USD 35'000
01/2024	Fellowship granted by the Center for Advanced Studies SOCRATES, Leibniz Universität Hannover.	5'400 €
09/2023	Harvard University Faculty Development Fund grant	USD 5'000
02/2022	Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science (SIPS) grant	USD 1'000
06/2021	Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoc Mobility Fellowship (P500PS_202935). The SNSF uses a 6-level evaluation scale. This grant application was assigned to the highest level.	116'000 CHF
09/2016	Swiss-European Mobility Program grant – awarded for studies at ETH Zurich for the academic year 2016-2017.	3'200 CHF

CONFERENCE ORGANIZATION AND PARTICIPATION

Conference organization
11/2023	Organizing team: Istituto Svizzero Roma, Asara, V., Cologna, V., Arnsperger, C. “Less is more? Imagining a good life beyond growth”. Rome (IT)
Symposia organization
04/2024	Accepted Symposium. Cologna, V., Meiler, S., Ettinger, J., & Hoffmann, R.: “Bridging natural and social sciences to study societal responses to extreme weather events.” European Geosciences Union (EGU), Vienna (AT).
06/2023	Berger, S., & Cologna, V. “Moving beyond the world of WEIRD self-reports: Underrepresented approaches to environmental psychology” – International Conference for Environmental Psychology, Aarhus (DK)
10/2022	Cologna, V., & Mede, N.G. “Challenges and caveats of Big Team Science projects in the social sciences” – Big Team Science Conference (online)
11/2021	Gubler, M., Cologna, V., Moser, S., Probst, M., & Linsbauer, A. “Tackling the Climate Crisis: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Climate Change Education and Communication” at the 19th Swiss Geoscience Meeting, Geneva (CH)
11/2020	Gubler, M., Schäfer, M., Cologna, V., Probst, M., & Linsbauer, A. “Tackling the Climate Crisis: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Climate Change Education and Communication” at the 18th Swiss Geoscience Meeting, Zurich (CH)
Article presentation
12/2023	Directions of Polarization, Social Norms, and Trust in Societies – Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US): “Political orientation and trust in scientists in 67 countries: Evidence from the TISP Many Labs Study”
10/2023	Big Team Science Conference – Online. “The state of trust in science in 67 countries: results from the TISP Many Labs study”
10/2023	American Psychological Association Division 34 – Online. “Does the historical prevalence of extreme weather events influence climate policy support? A cross-cultural analysis in 67 countries”
06/2023	European Association for Social Psychology (EASP) – Online. Blitz presentation titled: “Trust in science and science-related populism: a global assessment”
06/2023	International Conference for Environmental Psychology (ICEP), Aarhus (DK). Presentation titled: “Historical and Projected Prevalence of Extreme Weather Events and Attitudes Towards Climate Change”
02/2023	Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Sustainability Preconference – Atlanta (US). Poster presentation titled: “The relationship between attitudes towards technology and pro-environmental behavioral intentions”
10/2022	Scientific Expertise, Communication and Trust (SECAT) Conference – Online. “Trust in science and science-related populism: a global assessment”
06/2022	American Psychological Association Division 34 – Online. “The double-edged sword of climate change-related techno-optimism”
08/2020	Environmental Social Science Conference – Bern (CH). Poster presentation titled: “Majority of US and German citizens support policy advocacy by climate researchers”
08/2020	European Association for Studies on Science and Technology Conference (EASST) – Online. “Majority of US and German citizens support policy advocacy by climate researchers”
11/2019	17th Swiss Geoscience Meeting – Fribourg (CH): “The role of trust for climate change mitigation and adaptation behaviour: A meta-analysis”
09/2019	International Conference for Environmental Psychology (ICEP), University of Plymouth (UK): “To strike or not to strike? An investigation of participation motives regarding the Fridays for Future climate strikes”
06/2019	International Conference for Environmental Psychology (ICEP), University of Plymouth (UK): “The role of trust for climate change mitigation and adaptation behaviour: A meta-analysis”
02/2017	World Symposium on Climate Change Communication – University of Manchester (UK). “Flood risk perceptions and the UK media: From “once in a lifetime” to “be prepared” reporting”

INVITED TALKS

12/2023	Aarhus University (DK), Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences – online: “Who wants to run a Many Labs study? Insights and results from the TISP Many Labs study”
10/2023	University of California San Diego (US), Institute for Practical Ethics: “The role of trust in science for individual and collective action on climate change.”
10/2023	Birch Aquarium, Scripps Institute of Oceanography (US): “The role of trust in science for individual and collective action on climate change.”
10/2023	Stanford University (US), Scientists Speak Up: “Trust in science and political engagement of scientists in the face of climate change”
04/2023	Princeton University (US), Behavioral Science for Policy Lab: “The role of trust in science for climate change mitigation”
03/2023	Boston College (US), Morality Lab, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience: “Trust in science and science-related populism: A global assessment”
02/2023	Northeastern University (US), Sustainability & Social Change Lab, Department of Psychology: “The role of trust in science for climate change mitigation”
12/2022	University of Bern (CH), Institute of Sociology: “Trust in science and science-related populism: A global assessment”
05/2022	Michigan State University (US), Health and Risk Communication Center with Niels G. Mede – online: “Trust in science and science-related populism across the world: Implications for science communication”
04/2022	University of Toronto (CA), Department of Political Science with Niels G. Mede – online: “Trust in science and science-related populism: Implications for the role of science in politics and society”
02/2022	Oxford Brookes University (UK), Department of Psychology – online: “The role of trust and expert credibility for climate change mitigation”
09/2019	University of Leeds (UK), Sustainability Research Institute: “The role of trust for climate change mitigation and adaptation behaviour: A meta-analysis”

SERVICES TO PROFESSION AND INSTITUTIONAL ACTIVITY

Individual scientific reviewing activities for the following journals:

Nature Human Behavior, Nature Scientific Reports, PNAS, British Journal of Social Psychology, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Risk Analysis, Environmental Research Letters, Environment and Behavior, Climatic Change, Lancet Planetary Health, Environmental Sociology, Environmental Research Communications, Children’s Geographies, Sustainability, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Climate and Development, Journal of Physics: Complexity.

Early Career Advisory Board Member – Journal of Environmental Psychology (since 2022)

Hardvard FAS Postdoctoral Association – Social chair (Fall 2023)

SELECTED PUBLIC AND MEDIA ENGAGEMENT

2024	Guide about how to speak with your family and friends about environmental issues.
2022	Online panel discussion at the University of Cologne (DE) on the topic “Was ist die Rolle der Universitäten in der Klimakrise?”
2022	Essay published in the Swiss National Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAGW) Bulletin: “Raus aus der Illusion des grünen Wachstums! Degrowth als Weg in eine lebenswerte Zukunft”
2022	Interview with Canadian Broadcasting Company Podcast “What on Earth?”
2021	Radio interview on RAI Südtirol: "Wie geht Zukunft?"
2020	Panel discussion by UmverkehR: “Mehr Zug, weniger Flug - braucht es ein Umdenken im Tourismus und in der Geschäftswelt? Oder sollten wir in Zukunft weniger reisen?”.
2020	Podcast IschGleich on the topic of trust and climate change “Vertrauensfrage Klimaerwärmung”
2019	Invited guest presentation at high-school Realgymnasium Bozen (IT) titled: “The four dimensions of climate change and how we can act upon them”
2019	Panel discussion at the Swiss Reporter Forum on the role of journalism in reporting about climate change.
2019	Swiss Radio and Television (SRF 1, Club). Panel discussion on the climate strikes in Switzerland titled “Panik! Das Klima bewegt die Jugend.”

Department of Communication and Media Research Science Communication

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