Simone Rödder is a professor of sociology—with a focus on science communication and museum development—in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Hamburg and directs the Centre for Knowledge Exchange (zwt) at the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB).
Her research combines the sociology of science, science communication, and museum work with current societal challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and sustainability. At the heart of her work is the question of how science and communication can help address the climate and biodiversity crises—and how the dialogue between science, politics, and society can be understood, organized, and shaped.
At the LIB, she and her team are dedicated to the further development and research of innovative formats in science communication. These include, in particular, dialogue and educational programs at museums in Hamburg and Bonn that promote exchange between the research community and the public. By combining sociological research, university teaching, and practical outreach, she aims to break new ground in science communication.
During her academic career, Simone Rödder studied biology in Mainz and Glasgow, earned her doctorate degree in the sociology of science at the Bielefeld University, and completed training in journalism. After holding positions as a postdoctoral researcher, project manager, and visiting scholar in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, she became an assistant professor of sociology—with a focus on science studies—at the University of Hamburg in 2017. In 2024, she earned her habilitation there with a dissertation on the controversy surrounding climate expertise.
The Centre for Knowledge Exchange (zwt) is a place for exchange: We talk to everyone—from nature enthusiasts and curious individuals to daycare groups and school classes—and address their questions about biodiversity.
It’s important to us to convey just how fragile our biological diversity is, the impact we humans have on it, and how society’s relationship with nature shapes us all. That’s why we present scientific findings in a way that makes them understandable and tangible for everyone.
A key focus of our work is to spark enthusiasm for ecological relationships and species knowledge. Through projects like FörTax, we train nature enthusiasts to become species experts. And anyone who’s interested can participate directly in research through our citizen science projects and discover the diversity of nature together with us. Our exhibitions invite all visitors to engage in an open dialogue to discuss socially relevant topics from the perspectives of the natural and social sciences and to answer questions.
We conduct research on the dynamics of science communication in order to further develop our museums based on evidence. In doing so, we collaborate in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary manner with the other LIB centres and with partners from the fields of politics, media, and agriculture. We reflect on our role in societal transformation processes and work together to shape our self-image as actors in science communication.
Our goal is to more closely integrate research, teaching, and museum work in order to create spaces for dialogue that contribute to a better understanding of science and to sustainable social development.For us, the centre is a place where science comes to life and where people are encouraged to become actively involved in research and nature conservation.
Publications
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2026/09
Communicating wicked sustainability problems in a natural history museum – communication models, dilemmas, and societal transformation
Frontiers in Communication, 11
2026/09
Disziplinen und Interdisziplinarität Wissenschaft und der Wissenschaftsforschung
9
2026/08
Theorizing reputation: the case of science as a social world
Distinktion Journal of Social Theory
2026/07
Medialisation of science
2026/07
Wissenstransfer als Wicked Problem - eine Analyse am Fall Corona (WISDOM)
2026/07
Science communication as a wicked problem: Revisiting the paradigms of deficits
Public Understanding of Science
2026/03
Honesty, transparency, and rigour: A study of public trust in scientists in South Africa
South African Journal of Science, 3/4, 122
2025/11
Repräsentative Organisationen: Stellvertretungsansprüche am Beispiel wissenschaftlicher Expertise
Zeitschrift für Soziologie, 4, 54
2025/10
Emotionen in der Wissenschaftskommunikation
2025/01
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
Nature Human Behaviour, 4, 9
2025/01
Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries – the TISP dataset
Scientific data, 1, 12
2025/01
“They never appear on TV and if they have, I might have missed that moment.” How publics in South Africa and Germany view visible scientists
PloS one, 1, 20
2024/11
Academic Air Travel: Debates, Tensions and the Need for a Sociology of Science Perspective
Sociology Compass, 11, 18
2024/09
Between evidence first and political fight – understanding dynamics of (de-)politicization in US climate movements’ future narratives
Environmental Politics, 6, 33
2024/09
The dramaturgical infrastructure of counter-summitry – ethnographic insights from the Glasgow climate conference
Social movement studies
2024/07
Collaborative Ethnography of Global Environmental Governance
2024/02
Social Constructions of Climate Futures: Reframing Science’s Harmful Impact Frame Across News Media, Social Movements, and Local Communities
Environmental Communication, 3, 18
2023/05
World organisations, world events and world objects: how science, politics, and the mass media co-produce climate futures
Globalizations, 1, 21
2023/03
The role of scientific knowledge in Extinction Rebellion's communication of climate futures
Frontiers in Communication, 8
2023/02
Hamburg Climate Futures Outlook: The plausibility of a 1.5°C limit to global warming - social drivers and physical processes
2022/12
Más allá de las expectativas de rol: 'Devenires' en la investigación interdisciplinaria sobre el cambio global, el clima y el ambiente
Redes Revista de Estudios Sociales de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, 54, 28
2022/09
“It’s something that I do every day.” Exploring interdisciplinarity and stakeholder engagement in tsunami science
Frontiers in Earth Science, 10
2022/08
‘Unite behind the Science!’ Climate movements’ use of scientific evidence in narratives on socio-ecological futures
Science and Public Policy, 1, 50
2022/06
Schlüsselwerke der sozialwissenschaftlichen Klimaforschung
2022/06
Frontmatter
2022/06
Zum Abschluss: Sozialwissenschaftliche Klimaforschung? Ja! Aber warum?
2022/06
Boykoff, Maxwell T. & Jules Boykoff (2004)
2022/06
Vorwort
2022/06
Autorinnen und Autoren
2022/06
Sozialwissenschaftliche Klimaforschung? Ja! Aber wie?
2022/02
Circles of Global Climate Governance. Power, Performance and Contestation at the UN Climate Conference COP26 in Glasgow
2021/10
»Zweite Welle«? Soziologie der Nachhaltigkeit – von der Aufbruchsstimmung zur Krisenreflexion
2021/08
Disziplinarität
2021/08
Disziplinarität
2021/06
Intransparente Beliebigkeit oder produktive Vielfalt? Konturen einer Soziologie der Nachhaltigkeit. Kommentar zum Aufsatz von Karl-Werner Brand
Leviathan, 2, 49
2021/04
Academic (Air) Travel
2021/03
Book review of Michael Brüggemann and Simone Rödder (eds.). 2020. Global warming in local discourses: how communities around the world make sense of climate change
Journal of Political Ecology, 1, 28
2021/03
»Zweite Welle«? Soziologie der Nachhaltigkeit - von der Aufbruchsstimmung zur Krisenreflexion
2021/03
Soziologie der Nachhaltigkeit - Herausforderungen und Perspektiven
2020/11
The ambivalent role of environmental NGOs in climate communication
Journal of Science Communication, 6, 19
2020/10
We are Climate Change
2020/08
Historical, Philosophical, and Sociological Perspectives on Earth System Modeling
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 10, 12
2020/03
Organisation matters: towards an organisational sociology of science communication
Journal of Communication Management, 3, 24
2020/02
Climate change in sociology: Still silent or resonating?
Current Sociology, 6, 68
2019/12
Sociological Perspectives on Earth System Modeling
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 12, 11
2019/10
Misstrauen ohne Folgen
Forschung & Lehre, 10
2019/09
Von Freud und Leid einer benachbarten Einrichtung
2019/06
Speaking with one voice for climate science — climate researchers' opinion on the consensus policy of the IPCC
Journal of Science Communication, 3, 18
2019/05
Social studies of scholarly life with sensor-based ethnographic observations
Scientometrics, 3, 119
2018/04
Skalen im Klimasystem. Erfahrungsbericht zum Lehrlabor-Projekt
2018/04
Aktuelle Herausforderungen der Wissenschafts- und Hochschulforschung. Eine kollektive Standortbestimmung
Soziologie, 2, 47
2018/01
Integrating Research and Practice in Emerging Climate Services—Lessons from Other Transdisciplinary Dialogues
2017/12
Riding alone on the elevator
Learning and Teaching, 3, 10
2017/04
Soziologie der Nachhaltigkeit
2017/01
Zwischen Lernort und Disputationsprobe: Eine empirische Untersuchung von Advisory Panel Meetings in einem strukturierten Promotionsprogramm in der Klimaforschung
2016/12
Advancing integrated thinking & research through interdisciplinary team teaching – a reflection of our first scales course and conclusions for the scales approach.
2016/04
An assessment reassessed: Interdisciplinary reflections on the IPCC process. The Hamburg IPCC Survey. Final Project Report.
2015/07
Zur Integration von Wissenschaft und Praxis als Forschungsmodus – ein Literaturüberblick
2015/06
Das Science Media Centre. Ein neuer Organisationstyp an der Schnittstelle von Wissenschaft und Medien.
2014/06
Die Rolle sichtbarer Wissenschaftler in der Wissenschaftskommunikation.
2014/06
„Pop-Historiker“ und „Kollegen in den Redaktionen“– Deutungskonkurrenzen in der medienöffentlichen Zeitgeschichtsschreibung.
2013/12
Die Herstellung und Darstellung von Wissen unter Medialisierungsbedingungen
2013/06
Das Science Media Centre UK, London – Ein Erfolgsmodell? Expertise zur Explorationsphase eines Science Media Centre in Deutschland
2012/01
Wissenschaft und Massenmedien: Von Popularisierung zu Medialisierung
2011/12
The Sciences’ Media Connection –Public Communication and its Repercussions
2011/11
Dimensions of Medialization. Concluding Remarks
2011/11
Exploring the Impact of Science Communication on Scientific Knowledge Production: An Introduction
2011/11
The Ambivalence of Visible Scientists
2011/09
Science and the Mass Media –‘Medialization’ as a New Perspective on an Intricate Relationship
Sociology Compass, 9, 5
2010/11
Book review: Brigitte Nerlich, Richard Elliott and Brendon Larson (eds), Communicating Biological Sciences: Ethical and Metaphorical Dimensions. Farnham: Ashgate, 2009. 266 pp. ISBN 978—0—7546—7632—4, £60.00 (hbk)
Public Understanding of Science, 6, 19
2010/06
Cloning animals/humans.
2010/01
Fragen und Antworten: Ist es nötig, die Bevölkerung über wissenschaftlichen Fortschritt aufzuklären und sie wählen zu lassen, was sie für sinnvoll erachtet?
2010/01
Repercussion and resistance. An empirical study on the interrelation between science and mass media
Communications, 3, 35
2009/06
ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum Response to Nuffield Council on Bioethics Consultation on Medical Profiling and Online Medicine: The Ethics of ‘Personalised’ Healthcare in a Consumer Age.
2009/01
Wahrhaft sichtbar
2008/12
Reassessing the concept of a medialization of science: a story from the “book of life”
Public Understanding of Science, 4, 18
2008/06
PUSH 2.0. Erreicht die Wissenschaftskommunikation das, was sie soll?
2008/06
Wissenschaft auf der Titelseite der New York Times – zur Konflikthaftigkeit medialer und wissenschaftlicher Logik.
2008/02
Lug & Trug in der Wissenschaft? Editorial. Biospektrum
2007/06
Vergleichende Analyse Wissenschaftskommunikation.
2006/12
Fraud: causes and culprits as perceived by science and the media
EMBO Reports, 1, 8
2005/12
Simone Rödder: Das Buch des Lebens in der Presse. Die Darstellung der Entschlüsselung des menschlichen Erbguts in deutschen und britischen Medien
Publizistik, 4, 50
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