Assistant Professor
Affiliations
- Department of Journalism
- Institute of Communications Research
Education
- PhD in Mass Communications, 2024, Pennsylvania State University
- MS in Communication, 2018, Purdue University
- Graduate Certificate in Strategic Communication Management, 2018, Purdue University
- BFA in Communication Arts, 2014, Virginia Commonwealth University
- BA in Foreign Language (German), 2014, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Certificate in Product Innovation, 2014, Virginia Commonwealth University
Course Specialties
- JOUR 460: Environmental Journalism
Background
Dr. Troy is an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism. Prior to earning her PhD, she worked in nonprofit and sustainability communication. These professional experiences gave her the opportunity to work on a range of educational and strategic communication efforts, such as explanatory signage design, newsletter writing, social media management, and crisis communication planning. That same work also impressed upon her the urgency and complexity involved in communicating environmental issues like climate change to a wide range of audiences. Ultimately, a desire to better understand how to communicate about pressing environmental topics for constructive societal impact motivated her to pursue a PhD at Penn State and a career in academia.
Research and Creative Endeavor
Dr. Troy’s research focuses broadly on strategic environmental communication. Much of her work focuses on climate change in particular and she is specifically interested in examining positive or solutions-oriented environmental messaging as well as psychological drivers and inhibitors of collective pro-environmental and pro-social action in response to such content. She conducts both quantitative and qualitative research.
