Saffron O’Neill is Professor in Climate & Society, Geography, University of Exeter, UK. Her interdisciplinary research explores the social science dimensions of climate variability and climate change, particularly in terms of climate communication and public engagement. Her work examines the diverse places in which people experience climate change in their everyday lives: from personal attachments to valued places, to interactions on social media.

Her particular area of expertise is in the visual communication of climate change. Saffron’s research has explored climate imagery in different media, across nations, and over time; and what this means for how people engage with climate change. She has held two research Fellowships (ESRC, Leverhulme) on visual climate communication.

Saffron is Co-Director of the Centre for Climate Communication and Data Science (C3DS). C3DS works at the intersection of data science, AI and climate communication, with a diverse and global stakeholder community. Saffron is also Co-Director for the ACCESS network (Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science), where she leads the ACCESS Leadership College. Saffron supervises a fantastic group of PhD students and postdocs who all undertake research in climate communication-related topics.