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 environmental politics and policy, interest groups, and political communication. Her scholarly articles have appeared in American Politics Research, Journal of Information Technology & Politics, Online Information Review, Review of Policy Research, Policy & Internet, 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 focuses on health care policy and involves analysis of public comments submitted between 2016 and 2018 in response to proposed changes to Kentucky’s Medicaid program.
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
Digital 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