Research
PhD Student, Health & Science Communication
Stan Richard School of Advertising and Public Relations
The University of Texas at Austin
Advisor: Dr. Kathrynn Pounders
My Focus
Bridging chemistry, consumer behavior, and communication to understand how advertising and cultural norms shape chemical risk and overconsumption—and how we can intervene for individual health, sustainability and systemic change.
What I Study
My research investigates how people respond to communication about the health risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), with a primary focus on consumer goods and cosmetics. I draw on my chemistry background and engage with toxicology and endocrinology research, while also applying theories from advertising and consumer behavior to understand how:
Advertising and marketing influence social norms around product use
Consumers interpret and respond to messages about chemical risk
STEM education principles can inform communication strategies
I also leverage this expertise to create communication interventions that promote behavior change, supporting healthier, more sustainable, and female-empowered choices.
Why It Matters
This work connects individual well-being to collective sustainability by asking:
How do cultural and commercial pressures drive overconsumption?
How can communication strategies reduce unnecessary resource use?
How can we translate complex science into messages that are actionable today in a climate that prioritizes product usage as a way to fit in?
How can we collectively build to drive systemic change in our products?
Current Research Threads
Women’s Perceptions of Cosmetics and Health Risks
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Investigating how women understand the health risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in cosmetics and personal care products
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Conducting qualitative studies with maternal figures, college students, and everyday consumers
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Exploring how risk perception influences behaviors such as purchasing, product use, and precautionary practices
Overconsumption & Sustainability
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Examining how cultural and commercial pressures encourage overconsumption of beauty and wellness products
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Connecting chemical exposure risks to broader issues of waste and resource use
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Testing interventions and communication strategies that encourage more mindful, sustainable consumption
Current Research Threads
Current Research Threads
Advertising, Norms & Consumer Behavior
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Analyzing how advertising and marketing shape expectations around beauty, wellness, and product safety
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Using theories from consumer behavior and persuasion to understand how chemical risk is communicated—or obscured—through marketing practices
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Identifying opportunities to challenge or reshape harmful social norms through communication strategies
Big Picture
While systemic policy change remains essential, my work emphasizes what can be done in the present:
Designing communication strategies that empower consumers
Reducing unnecessary consumption of products and resources
Reimagining healthier, more sustainable relationships with everyday goods
Raising alarm at the lack of regulation in our products to drive bottom-up change.