Michelle McDowell

My research focuses on the development of transparent, evidence-based formats for communicating scientific evidence. I also research what people know about and how they judge different risks. I led the Risk and Evidence Communication research group at the Harding Center for Risk Literacy at the University of Potsdam. Before that, I worked as a research scientist at the Harding Center, in the Centre for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition research group at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin.

I have worked with international, government and non-profit institutions, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and the Bertelsmann Foundation in Germany, and the Cancer Council Queensland in Australia.

I am currently serving on the Editorial Board for Medical Decision Making (2021-2023).

Affiliations

• eyeo GmbH
• Harding Center for Risk Literacy
• Max Planck Institute for Human Development

Education

I obtained my PhD in Philosophy (Psychology) in 2011 from Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. Alongside my PhD I completed a Graduate Certificate in Research Management (2010) from Southern Cross University, Tweed Heads, Australia. I graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology (First Class Honors) from Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.