Melissa K. Merry

Melissa Merry 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.

Melissa 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.