Dr. Mirjam Jenny

My aim is to empower individuals and organisations at the interface of science, society and policy to make evidence-based, risk-competent and sustainable decisions and to communicate them effectively.

Background

Mirjam Jenny is a cognitive decision scientist, science communicator, science lobbyist, and networker. Her goal is to empower individuals and organizations to make evidence-informed, risk-savvy, and sustainable decisions in our globalized and increasingly digitalized world. She aims to serve our democratic society by engaging with citizens, journalists, expert decision–makers, research organizations, funders, government organizations, private and public stakeholders, and policy makers. Her areas of focus are public, global, and planetary health; and science, health, and crisis communication.

Mirjam Jenny leads our focus area Science2Society and recently built and lead the science communication unit at the Robert Koch Institute (Germany’s Public Health Institute) and consulted communications at the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence. She consults several government and non-government organizations including the Centre for Planetary Health Policy by the German Alliance on Climate Change and Health.

Areas of expertise: decision making, science communication, risk communication, risk literacy, crisis communication, planetary health behaviour

Curriculum Vitae

Academic career

• 2003 - 2013              B.Sc., M.Sc., and Dr. phil. (summa cum laude) in Psychology,  University of Basel, Switzerland

Employment

• 2022 – present        Head of Science2Society at the Department of Health Communication, University of Erfurt
• 2020 – 2021             Head of Science Communication, Robert Koch Institute and Consultant to the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence
• Jan - Jun 2020          Executive Director, Harding Center for Risk Literacy, University of Potsdam
• 2016 – 2019             Head Research Scientist, Harding Center for Risk Literacy, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
• 2015                         Data Scientist, Executive Department Innovation, National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV)
• 2013 – 2014             Post-doc Scientist, Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
• 2008                         Peer Move Coach (Human Resources) at Novartis Stein AG, Switzerland

Awards

• Otto Hahn Medal for best dissertation related research, Max Planck Society
• Emilie Louise Frey Prize for best dissertation, Basel Association of Female Academics and Basel Association of Female University Lecturers