Dr Rebecca Green

Dr Rebecca Green (PhD) is a Lecturer and researcher in Graphic Design at UNSW Art and Design (Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture), and an experienced designer, illustrator, and practice-led researcher. With qualifications in graphic design and sociology, her work operates at the intersection of visual communication, design practice, and public engagement. Her research investigates how the language of graphic design influences the uptake, interpretation, and trust of complex information, with a particular focus on climate change communication. Through practice-led methodologies, she develops and tests visual communication systems, including animation, diagrammatic simplification, and cartoon-based narration, that translate scientific and technical knowledge into accessible, engaging formats. This work positions graphic design as an active mode of knowledge translation, contributing to contemporary approaches addressing misinformation, public trust, and behaviour change across domains such as climate science and public health.

Dr Green’s work has gained national and international recognition. She has been invited as a keynote speaker, and has presented at major forums including SXSW Sydney, where she has contributed as both moderator and performer of her animated research series Dr Becky Explains. Her research has also been embedded within international contexts through her role as Executive Committee Member and Academic Lead at the International Universities Climate Alliance (IUCA), contributing to global climate communication initiatives including Climate Talks and university hackathon environments. With over twenty years of professional experience, her practice spans animation, museum and wayfinding design, branding, illustration, and editorial cartooning, and she is a regular cartoonist for Air Force News. This breadth of practice underpins a research approach that integrates professional expertise with academic inquiry, advancing the role of graphic design in addressing complex societal challenges. Dr Green has published and presented on topics including symbology in digital media, early visual communication of COVID-19, and climate change communication, and continues to develop design-led approaches to communicating complex information in public and institutional contexts.