Melissa K. Merry, PhD

Associate Professor

About

Biography

Melissa Merry is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Louisville. She received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Hampshire College and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Washington, with specializations in American Politics and Public Policy. Before joining the faculty at University of Louisville, she spent one year as a Visiting Professor at Pacific Lutheran University. Her research interests include public policy theory, environmental politics and policy, gun politics and policy, information technology and politics, and political communication. Her scholarly articles have appeared in American Politics Research, Environmental Politics, Journal of Information Technology & Politics, Online Information Review,  Policy & Internet, Politics and Policy, Review of Policy Research, Social Science Quarterly, and Policy Studies Journal. She is the author of two books, one examining environmental groups’ communications in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 and the other examining the policy narratives of gun control and gun rights organizations. Her current research projects include studies examining how problems are framed in two policy areas: climate and health care. Dr. Merry also serves as an Associate Editor for the Policy Studies Journal.

Honors and Awards

Highly Commended Paper award for “Making Friends and Enemies on Social Media,Online Information Review. Emerald Literati Network, Awards for Excellence, 2017.

Arnold Vedlitz Award, Best Book or Article on Environmental Politics of the American South for Framing Environmental Disaster: Environmental Advocacy and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.  Southern Political Science Association, 2017.

Teaching Areas

Public policy
Environmental policy
American politics
Polarization in American politics

Research Areas and Projects

Public policy
Interest groups
Political communication
Information technology and politics
Environmental politics and policy
Gun politics and policy
Health care politics and policy