Societal Security Research Center

    Audra Diers-Lawson

    Audra Diers-Lawson

    “For every complex problem, there’s a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong”

    H. L. Mencken

    About

    Audra Diers-Lawson (PhD, 2006 University of Texas-Austin) is a Professor of Risk and Crisis Communication and the Director of the new WHO-Europe Collaboration Center for Risk Communication, Community Engagement, and Infodemic Management (RCCE-IM) in health emergencies housed in the School of Communication, Leadership, and Marketing at Kristiania University of Applied Technology. It is the first WHO collaboration center for RCCE-IM in the world.

    With teaching and research experience in five countries and with more than 35 scientific publications including a monograph, and edited volumes in the last five to six years alone, experience serving as a journal editor and reviewer, and holding leadership positions with the ECREA and ICRCA, Diers-Lawson is a global leader in risk and crisis communication. Her research focuses on connections between risk, crisis, stakeholders and organizations.

    Diers-Lawson is passionate about bridging academic and practitioner communities to translate research to practice. She regularly participates as a keynote speaker in online and face-to-face events with communication experts and policy makers from across different industries. For example, she has participated in workshops to share, evaluate, and develop best practices in risk communication, community engagement, and infodemic management (RCCE-IM) with practitioners in the Balkans and Central Asia. She also served as the content expert in risk communication at a joint evaluation exercise in Kosovo.

    Diers-Lawson’s Recent Research

    Scientific Publications

    • Estella, P.G., Diers-Lawson, A., & Sellnow, T. (2026). Mapping obstacles in government risk and crisis communication during prolonged crises: A six-country study. Journal of Communication Management. Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-05-2025-0117 
    • Diers-Lawson, A. (2025). Rethinking risk and crisis communication: Integrating WHO practice and the EPIC approach to theory building. Crisis and Risk Communication, 1(1–2), 54–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/29986907.2025.2584140 
    • Omondi, Grace & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Visual frames of resilience: Crisis history’s influence in the visual representation of post-conflict Somalia. Journal of African Media Studies. ISSN 2040-199X. 17(2) p 105-129. doi: 10.1386/jams_00140_1
    • Johnson, Sophie & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Crisis History Toxicity: the Rise and Fall of Kanye West. Corporate Reputation Review. ISSN 1363-3589. doi: 10.1057/s41299-025-00244-3
    • Diers-Lawson, Audra, Ashwell, Doug & Murray, Niki (2025). Modeling the Role of Institutional Trust to Improve Vaccine Confidence: The New Zealand Case. Crisis and Risk Communication (CRC). ISSN 2998-6915. doi: 10.1080/29986907.2025.2584141
    • Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Rethinking Risk and Crisis Communication: Integrating WHO Practice and the EPIC Approach to Theory Building. Crisis and Risk Communication (CRC). ISSN 2998-6915.
    • Larsen, Jon Martin, Berber, Anna & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Exposing the gaps in Nordic exceptionalism on LGBTQ+ elder inclusion: Evaluating the arena, strategic communication, and dialogue with diverse LGBTQ+ communities. Corporate Communications. An International Journal. ISSN 1356-3289. ahead of print
    • Schwarz, Andreas, Sellnow, Deanna D., Diers-Lawson, Audra & Sellnow, Timothy L. (2025). The crisis response to the Türkiye-Syria earthquakes in 2023: Instructional emergency risk communication by the government, the national disaster management agency, and NGOs via press releases and microblogs. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. ISSN 2212-4209. 129 p 105770-105770. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105770
    • Duncan, Ben & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Preparing for International and Cross- Cultural Crises: The Challenges of Research in Action, Competing Voices, Inclusivity, and the Interplay of Responsibility in Global Organizations. I Schwarz, Andreas, Seeger, Matthew & Kim, Sora (red.) The Handbook of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9781394180837. p 656-675.
    • Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Aligning the Field: Embracing the Interdisciplinary, Conceptually Divergent, and Methodological Diverse Reality of Good Research in Risk and Crisis Communication. I Schwarz, Andreas, Seeger, Matthew & Kim, Sora (red.) The Handbook of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9781394180837. p 597-614.
    • Vanvik, Ester Conings, Johannessen, Magne & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2024). The 2023 Freia ‘Boycott’ that Melted Away: Framing Iconic Brands and Contagion. International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference. ISSN 2576-9111. 6 p 58-61. doi: 10.69931/ZBWZ4989
    • Diers-Lawson, Audra & Lawson, Stuart J. (2024). Hallucination or vision? Establishing reliability and validity of AI-based qualitative analysis of the unified model of activism in the Scottish independence Twitter debate. Corporate Communications. An International Journal. ISSN 1356-3289. 30(1) p 162-183. doi: 10.1108/CCIJ-08-2024-0139
    • Diers-Lawson, Audra (2024). Translating Research to Practice: Identifying Best Practice in Pandemic Communication. I Diers-Lawson, Audra, Schwarz, Andreas, Meissner, Florian & Ravazzani, Silvia (red.) Risk and Crisis Communication in Europe: Towards Integrating Theory and Practice in Unstable and Turbulent Times. Routledge. ISBN 9781032437132. p 161-197. doi: 10.4324/9781003375296-13
    • Diers-Lawson, Audra, Schwarz, Andreas, Meissner, Florian & Ravazzani, Silvia (2024). Risk and Crisis Communication in Europe: Towards Integrating Theory and Practice in Unstable and Turbulent Times. Routledge. ISBN 9781032437132. doi: 10.4324/9781003375296
    • Schwarz, Andreas & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2024). Mediated crises and strategic crisis communication of third sector organizations: a content analysis of crisis reporting in six countries. Corporate Communications. An International Journal. ISSN 1356-3289. 29(4) p 567-591. doi: 10.1108/CCIJ-08-2023-0117
    • Diers-Lawson, Audra & Fredheim, Nanna Alida Grit (2024). Designing Strategic Communication Messages for Health in a High Trust Society: Analyzing the Factors Behind Vaccine Confidence in Norway. I Alghasi, Sharam, Vanvik, Ester Conings, Barland, Jens & Falkheimer, Jesper (red.) Strategic Communication – Contemporary Perspectives. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 9788202836665. p 37-64. doi: 10.23865/noasp.208.ch3
    • Monehin, Daniel & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2024). A Model of Pragmatic Optimism for More Effective Crisis Leadership. I Harrison, Christian (red.) Leadership During a Crisis: A Focus on Leadership Development. Routledge. ISBN 9781032383552. p 46-68. doi: 10.4324/9781003344629-4
    • Diers-Lawson, Audra (2024). Denigrated, delegitimized, and erased: prejudice against Scots in the UK. I Nshom, Elvis & Croucher, Stephen (red.) Research Handbook on Communication and Prejudice. Routledge. ISBN 9781802209655. p 283-300. doi: 10.4337/9781802209662.00028
    • Zeng, Cheng, Kelly, Stephanie, Goke, Ryan & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2024). Employee voice as a means to facilitate organizational safety and crisis preparedness. Communication Quarterly. ISSN 0146-3373. 72(3) p 299-319. doi: 10.1080/01463373.2024.2344760
    • Diers-Lawson, Audra (2024). It’s complicated…. Exploring vaccination attitudes and the vaccination infodemic in the UK throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I Sellnow, Timothy L. & Sellnow, Deanna D. (red.) Communicating Risk and Safety. De Gruyter Mouton. ISBN 9783110752359. p 551-584. doi: 10.1515/9783110752427-029
    • Diers-Lawson, Audra & Omondi, Grace (2024). Ripples, Waves, and Riptides: Reconceptualizing Wicked, Novel, and Ongoing Crises as Prolonged Crises. I Liu, Brooke Fisher & Mehta, Amisha (red.) Routledge Handbook of Risk, Crisis, and Disaster Communication. Routledge. ISBN 9781003363330.

    Professional Reports and Editorials

    Larsen, J. M., & Diers-Lawson (2026). Breaking the cycle of bullying: A pilot study. Produced for the Norwegian Kommunes. Feb. 15, 2026.  

    Diers-Lawson, A., (2025). Improving evidence-based mpox interventions: A toolkit for rapid social science studies to support response to mpox in the WHO European Region. Report delivered to the RCI Unit for the WHO/European Region, May 1. 

    Jacob, C., Hausemer, P., Zagoni-Bogsch, A., & Diers-Lawson, A. (2023). The Effect of Communication and Disinformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Report published by the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned and recommendations for the future. Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies, European Parliament, Luxembourg. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/740063/IPOL_STU(2023)740063_EN.pdf 

    Meißner, F., & Diers-Lawson, A. (2022). Editorial essay: Innovation in risk and crisis communication: Toward new topics, theories, and methods. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, 5(2), 113–122. https://doi.org/10.30658/jicrcr.5.2.1 

    Diers-Lawson, A., Johnson, S., Clayton, T., Kimoto, R., Tran, B. X., Nguyen, L. H., Park, K., (2021). Creating evidence-based pandemic communication strategy: A comparison between the Republic of Korea and Vietnam. Report published by the Asia-Europe Foundation. 

    Diers-Lawson, A., & Meißner, F. (2021). Editor’s Essay: Moving beyond Western Corporate Perspectives: On the Need to Increase the Diversity of Risk and Crisis Communication Research. Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research, 4(1) 165-176. 

    Topic, M. Diers-Lawson, A., Goodman, C. (2020) An inquiry into ways research-based teaching can contribute towards student attainment, satisfaction, and employability. Leeds Business School. 

    Topic M, Cunha MJ, Reigstad A, Jelen-Sanchez A, Diers Lawson A, Polic M, Moreno A, Zurbano Berenguer B, Damian-Gaillard B, Sanz P, et al. (2019) EUPRERA Report, Vol.1, No. 1 – Women in Public Relations: A Literature Review (1982-2019) Creative Media and Communications Research Ltd & EUPRERA, Leeds/Brussels. 2633-2353.

    Contact:

    Audra.Diers-Lawson@kristiania.no

    +47 412 13 467