Audra Diers-Lawson
-
- Professor
- School of Communication, Leadership and Marketing
Background
Audra Diers-Lawson (PhD, 2006 University of Texas-Austin) is a Professor of Risk and Crisis Communication and the Head 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.
Finally, she collaborates to advice and produce research affecting policy and practice with institutions like the Asia-Europe Foundation, EU, and WHO-Europe. Notably, she was also an inaugural member of the WHO-Europe’s RCCE-IM Technical Advisory Group.
Employee details
Scientific Publications
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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 & 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.
- 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
- 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 & 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
- Diers-Lawson, Audra, Omondi, Grace & Hillier, Sophie (2023). Shooting from the Hip or Taking Careful Aim? Developing the VISTA analytic framework comparing the English and Scottish visual campaigns for self-protective behavior throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Visual Political Communication. ISSN 2633-3732. 9 p 59-97. doi: 10.1386/jvpc_00017_1
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2023). iScotland: building a unified model of activism in multi-platform communication environments from traditional PR theory. Corporate Communications. An International Journal. ISSN 1356-3289. 28(4) p 599-617. doi: 10.1108/CCIJ-12-2022-0153
- Croucher, Stephen & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2023). Pandemic Communication. Routledge. ISBN 9781032075433.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2023). The New Normal: Pandemic Communication and Sustainable Organizations. I Croucher, Stephen & Diers-Lawson, Audra (red.) Pandemic Communication. Routledge. ISBN 9781032075433. p 96-116.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2023). Reflecting on Theory and Research in Pandemic Communication. I Croucher, Stephen & Diers-Lawson, Audra (red.) Pandemic Communication. Routledge. ISBN 9781032075433. p 289-302.
- Croucher, Stephen, Nguyen, Thao, Ding, George Guoyu, Diers-Lawson, Audra, Spencer, Anthony, Permyakova, Tatiana M., Dutta, Mohan, Turdubaeva, Elira, Ashwell, Doug, Bustamante,, Sandra & Gomez, Oscar (2023). Intergroup Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A 20-Nation Analysis of Prejudice. I Croucher, Stephen & Diers-Lawson, Audra (red.) Pandemic Communication. Routledge. ISBN 9781032075433. p 174-196.
- Schwarz, Andreas, Alpers, Francis, Wagner-Offermann, Elisabeth & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2023). The Global Study of COVID News: Scope, Findings, and Implications of Quantitative Content Analyses of the COVID-19 News Coverage in the First Two Years of the Pandemic. Health Communication. ISSN 1041-0236. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2023.2226932
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2022). ‘She's Played a Blinder’ : Nicola Sturgeon as a Crisis Leader and Change Agent in Scotland. I Topić, Martina (red.) Towards a New Understanding of Masculine Habitus and Women and Leadership in Public Relations. Routledge. ISBN 9781003161622. p 228-243.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra & Collins, Lorraine (2022). Taking off the rose-colored glasses: the influence of crises on employee relationship management. Employee Relations. ISSN 0142-5455. 44(4) p 833-849. doi: 10.1108/ER-03-2021-0115
- Topic, Martina, Diers-Lawson, Audra & Goodman, Christian (2022). Middle-Class “Chavs” From Working-Class Areas? Habitus, the Attainment Gap, and the Commodification of Higher Education Among Communication Students in England. Journal of Communication Pedagogy. ISSN 2578-2568. 6 p 65-82. doi: 10.31446/JCP.2022.1.08
- Monehin, Daniel & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2022). Pragmatic optimism, crisis leadership, and contingency theory: A view from the C-suite. Public Relations Review. ISSN 0363-8111. 48(4) doi: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2022.102224
- Diers-Lawson, Audra & Pang, Augustine (2021). Strategic crisis management: State of the field, challenges and opportunities. I Valentini, Chiara (red.) Public relations. De Gruyter Mouton. ISBN 9783110552294. p 195-216. doi: 10.1515/9783110554250-011FULLTEKST
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2021). Eureka: Identifying what it means to practice student-centered teaching in a hypermodern age. Journal of Communication Pedagogy. ISSN 2578-2568. doi: 10.31446/JCP.2021.1.10
- Diers-Lawson, Audra, Symons, Amelia & Zeng, Cheng (2021). Building crisis capacity: Limitations of reactive crisis response and need for proactive public relations. Corporate Communications. An International Journal. ISSN 1356-3289. doi: 10.1108/CCIJ-02-2021-0024
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2020). Applying the stakeholder relationship model as an issue management and risk communication tool. I Peksevgen, Burcu (red.) Issues, Risk and Crisis Communication Themes in Issues, Risk and Crisis Communication: A Multi-Dimensional Perspective. Peter Lang Publishing Group. ISBN 9783631816516.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2020). Crisis Communication: Managing Stakeholder Relationships. Routledge. ISBN 9781138346253.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra & Qureshi, Noumaan (2020). Healthcare is more than curing the disease: The role of stakeholder relationship management in healthcare. I Tench, Ralph & Waddington, Stephen (red.) Exploring Public Relations and Management Communication. Pearson Education Academic Publisher. ISBN 9781292321745.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2020). Norsk Tipping’s loneliest stakeholder: Crisis, issues and the whistleblower’s voice. I Svenkerud, Peer Jacob, Sørnes, Jan-Oddvar & Browning, Larry (red.) Whistleblowing, Communication and Consequences: Lessons from The Norwegian National Lottery. Routledge. ISBN 9780367421335.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2017). Crisis Communication. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.397
- Diers-Lawson, Audra, Croucher, Stephen, Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, Barbara & Wilson, Paul A. (2017). Approaches to conflict: Mediated and group dynamics. Rowman & Littlefield International. ISBN 9781498535489.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra & Croucher, Stephen (2017). Sports, culture, and financial crisis: A cross-cultural comparison of the social media responses of struggling sports associations in the United States and United Kingdom. I Jin, Yan (red.) Social Media and Crisis Communication. Routledge. ISBN 9781138812000.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2012). Reconstructing stakeholder relationships using ‘corporate social responsibility’ as a response strategy to cases of corporate irresponsibility: The case of the 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I Tench, Ralph, Sun, William & Jones, Brian (red.) Corporate social irresponsibility: A challenging concept. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781780529981. doi: 10.1108/S2043-9059(2012)0000004017
Dissemination
- Omondi, Grace, Diers-Lawson, Audra, Hasselström, Elisabeth & Pyle, Andrew (2025). Things that make you go hmmm: Humor and risk communication strategy.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra & Lawson, Stuart (2025). Hallucination or vision? New methods in using AI to test & apply theory qualitatively.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Finishing Your PhD? The Precarious Balancing Act of Professional Development.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). IDEAs for developing a toolkit for rapid social science research to support the MPOX response in the WHO-European region.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra & Birkholt, Marty J. (2025). Building bridges between communities: Predictors of communication vulnerability in the vaccination debate in the US and Mexico.
- Mghari, Souad El & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Decoding the Risk Severity of Infodemics on TikTok: Analysis of AI Content and Conversations Surrounding the 2025 California Wildfires.
- Johnson, Sophie & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Crisis history toxicity: The rise and fall of Kanye West.
- Hasselström, Elisabeth & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Jabbing Holes in English Vaccine Confidence: Effects of Time, Information Trust, Health Inefficacy, & Demographics.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Being EPIC in risk and environmental disaster cmmunication.
- Schwarz, Andreas, Sellnow, Deanna D., Diers-Lawson, Audra & Sellnow, Timothy (2025). The Crisis Response to the Turkey Syria Earthquakes in 2023: How Instructive are Press Releases and Social Media Posts from the Government, Disaster Management Agencies, and NGOs in Response to Earthquakes?
- Löffelholz, Martin, Xu, Yi, Diers-Lawson, Audra, Sellnow, Deanna D. & Sellnow, Timothy (2025). Instructional communication strategies across risk cultures: A comparative analysis of government press releases during prolonged crises in seven Western democracies.
- Löffelholz, Martin, Xu, Yi, Diers-Lawson, Audra, Sellnow, Deanna D. & Sellnow, Timothy (2025). The newsworthiness of government crisis messaging in protracted crises: A longitudinal and cross-national analysis of news values in state press releases.
- Omondi, Grace & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2025). Visual frames of resilience: Crisis history’s influence in the visual representation of post-crisis Somalia.
- Schwarz, Andreas, Alpers, Francis & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2024). The mediated instructional effectiveness and institutional trust during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of the crisis news coverage in Europe and the US from a risk communication perspective.
- Salvi, Cristiana, Duncan, Ben, Diers-Lawson, Audra, Dzhumalieva, Ayzhana & Strahwald, Brigitte (2024). Thinking together: WHO, practitioners, and researchers bridging the gap between evidence and action during emergencies.
- Vanvik, Ester Conings, Johannessen, Magne & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2024). The 2023 Freia ‘Boycott’ that Melted Away: Framing Iconic Brands and Contagion. Proceedings of the International Crisis and Risk Communication Conference. 6 p 58-61.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra & Omondi, Grace (2024). Ripples, waves, and riptides: Reconceptualizing wicked, novel, and ongoing crises as prolonged crises.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra, Meissner, Florian, Schwarz, Andreas & Ravazzani, Silvia (2024). Introduction. 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 1-10.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra, Ashwell, Doug & Murray, Niki (2023). Institutional Trust and Vaccine Confidence: The Case of New Zealand.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2023). Translating the science: A contingency approach to risk communication and community engagement.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2023). Testimony: Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic. FULLTEKST
- Woodward, Laura, Salvi, Cristiana, Diers-Lawson, Audra, Amlôt, Richard, Gaspar, Rui, Aslan, Dìlek, Dzhumalieva, Aizhana & Kamberi, Fatjona (2023). Risk communication, community engagement and infodemic management (RCCE-IM) can save lives: success stories.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2023). Denigrated, delegitimized, & erased: Prejudice against Scots in the UK.
- George, Amiso & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2023). Cultural Contradictions: A Critical Reflection on Current Events in Nigeria.
- Duncan, Ben & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2023). Preparing for International and Cross-Cultural Crises: The Challenges of Research in Action, Competing Voices, Inclusivity, and the Interplay of Responsibility in Global Organizations.
- Bjorck, Albena, Diers-Lawson, Audra & Ducrey, Felix (2022). Evolution and Effectiveness of the Governmental Risk and Crisis Communication on Twitter in the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Switzerland. FULLTEKST
- Hillier, Sophie, Pugh, Esther & Diers-Lawson, Audra (2022). Bridging the gap between the fashion industry and crisis communication theory: Evaluating 50 years of value co-creation, public relations, and crisis response in the industry.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2022). iScotland: A Unified model of activism in a media rich and multiplatform environment.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2022). Was COVID-19 a game changer for changing vaccine hesitancy in the UK?: Understanding the role of competitive message environments about vaccination throughout the pandemic on British vaccine attitudes.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2022). Stakeholder centered risk communication and community engagement: Exploring the central role of communication excellence in managing health outcomes.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra & Hillier, Sophie (2022). The 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico disaster could be seen from space, but does it still affect attitudes about the company? Analyzing attitudes and factors influencing long-term brand damage.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2022). iScotland: Crises, the integrated model of activism and Twitter. I Austin, Lucinda & Jin, Yan (red.) Social Media and Crisis Communication, 2nd edition. Routledge. ISBN 9780367489007.
- Bjorck, Albena, Diers-Lawson, Audra & Ducrey, Felix (2022). Effective governmental risk and crisis communication on Twitter: A study of communication strategies and their development during the COVID-19 pandemic on the example of Switzerland.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2022). Paving the way: Risk communication and community engagement lessons from Europe.
- Diers-Lawson, Audra (2017). Antecedents and indicators of strong emotional reactions to crises among stakeholders. I Diers-Lawson, Audra, Croucher, Stephen, Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, Barbara & Wilson, Paul A. (red.) Approaches to conflict: Mediated and group dynamics. Rowman & Littlefield International. ISBN 9781498535489.
- 2022 - nowProfessor of Risk and Crisis CommunicationKristiania
- 2016 - 2022Senior Lecturer / Academic Chair of the Retail Institute, Research LeadLeeds Business School
- 2021 - 2022Visiting Lecturer in Crisis Communication and Corporate CommunicationHanze University (Netherlands)/ Masters in International Communication
- 2014 - 2016Course Director for MSc in Corporate Communication and Reputation ManagementUniversity of Manchester, Department of Marketing
- 2012 - 2014Part-Time Lecturer / Academic Lead for CommunicationColorado State University Global Campus, Department of Communication
- 2009 - 2012Assistant ProfessorMarist College, School of Communication
- 2006 - 2009Director of ForensicsUnited States Air Force Academy
- 2006Ph.D. Organizational CommunicationUniversity of Texas-Austin
- 1999M.A. Communication and Mass MediaUniversity of Wyoming 1997
- 1997B.A. Speech CommunicationColorado State University