Neha Gour

Graduate Research Assistant

Climate Change Communication, Public Health, Science Communication, Public Policy

Neha Gour is a Ph.D. candidate in Science Communication at George Mason University and an affiliated researcher with the Center for Climate Change Communication. She is currently an Institute for a Sustainable Earth Summer Fellow with The Nature Conservancy. Her work examines the intersections of AI infrastructure, climate change, public health, and public policy. Using quantitative methods, she generates and evaluates empirical evidence to inform policy, public communication, and decision-making.

Her research spans the health implications of data center expansion, the role of health professionals as climate communicators, and how news coverage of climate change as a health issue has evolved over the past decade across the United States, India, and China. Her dissertation uses cross-national survey data from the United States, India, and China to examine how trusted opinion leaders shape public understanding of climate change and health. She works closely with policymakers, journalists, industry, and community stakeholders to translate research into evidence-based strategies that support both technological innovation and community well-being.

Neha has led and contributed to research, policy communication, and knowledge management initiatives with international organizations, research institutes, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, the Government of the City of Fairfax, Virginia; the World Health Organization (WHO); UNESCO; the Wellcome Trust; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark; Oxford Policy Management; Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy; the Centre for Policy Research; and the Ministry of Education, Government of India.

Current Research

1. Trusted Messengers for Climate-Health Communication: A Cross-National Study: Dissertation study identifying trusted messengers and public perception for climate-health issues across the U.S., China, and India.

2. Climate-Health Risk Perception Among Americans: Leading a regression and survey-based study identifying attributes of Americans who perceive climate risk across physical, mental, social health, and community livability.

3. Climate-Health Risk Perception in South Asia: Exploring public perception of climate-related health risks through Framing Theory, with emphasis on targeted communication strategies for South Asian communities. Accepted in Routledge

4. Public Perceptions of Data Centers: Survey-based study examining public perceptions of data centers, perceived community impacts, and policy support in the United States using nationally representative data from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

5. Media Narratives on Data Centers: Analyzing news and social media coverage to examine how data centers are portrayed in relation to environmental impacts, public health, and community concerns.

Selected Publications

Gour, N., Ortiz, L., Maibach, E., (2026). Health implications of the rapid rise of data centers in Virginia: An exploratory assessment. Frontiers in Climate. 8, 1648912. https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2026.1648912

Gour, N. (2026). Climate Change and Public Health in South Asia: A Review of Impacts, Perceptions, and Communication Strategies. In G. Bamezai, P. Sopory & U. Dutta (Eds.) Handbook of communication in (pre & post) pandemics: South Asian perspectives on securing health and well-being (accepted)

Weathers, M. R., Ganapathy, D., Mosher, M. M., Myers, T., Gour, N., Jiang, M., Ye, Q., Shen, F., Kotcher, J., & Maibach, E. W. (2025). The evolution of news coverage about climate change as a health issue: a decadal analysis in China, India, and the USA. The Lancet. Planetary health, 9(11), 101335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanplh.2025.101335

Campbell, E., Uppalapati, S., Kotcher, J. E., Thier, K., Ansah, P., Gour, N., & Maibach, E. (2025). Activating health professionals as climate change and health communicators and advocates: a review. Environmental Research Health. https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ada791

Uppalapati, S. S., Campbell, E., Kotcher, J., Thier, K., Ansah, P., Gour, N., & Maibach, E. (2025). Public Engagement with Climate Change and Health: A Global Literature Review. EcoHealth. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-025-01756-4

Uppalapati, S., Ansah, P., Campbell, E., Gour, N., Thier, K., Kotcher, J., & Maibach, E. (2023). A global review of research on effective advocacy and communication strategies at the intersection of climate change and health. George Mason University. DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/6w3qh

Grants and Fellowships

1. Institute for a Sustainable Earth Fellow (2025)
The Nature Conservancy

Synthesizing research and practitioner evidence to understand the drivers of social acceptance of prescribed fire in the Western United States. The project examines trust, community engagement, communication, and interventions to identify evidence gaps and inform future conservation research and practice within TNC's Western Dry Forests Program.

2. Institute for a Sustainable Earth Fellow (2025)
City of Fairfax Government

Collaborating with the City of Fairfax in close coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service on the Stewardship Mapping and Assessment Project (STEW-MAP). Our work involves developing the survey instrument, leading data collection, and conducting spatial analysis using GIS to map local environmental stewardship efforts.

3. Institute for a Sustainable Earth Fellow (2024)
Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action

Led a research project investigating the impact of Virginia’s Data Center Alley, the world’s largest concentrated data center hub, on human and planetary health. The project is a collaborative effort among climate scientists, medical scientists, and atmospheric scientists and is funded by the Institute for a Sustainable Earth, George Mason University.

4. PhD Graduate Fellowship, George Mason University, 2022–26

Courses Taught

Instructor of Record, COMM 101: Fundamentals of Communication | 2022 - Ongoing

Recent Presentations

1. Invited Panelist, American Public Health Association (APHA) – Can Data Centers Have Health Impacts? San Antonio, Texas. (upcoming)

2. Invited Speaker, George Washington University – Rapid Expansion of Data Centers and Health Implications. Washington, DC.

3. Invited Speaker, Virginia Conservation Network Summer Speaker Webinar Series – Data Centers and Their Environmental and Health Impacts. Virginia.

4. Invited Speaker, Loudoun Energy Innovation Forum – Data Centers, Communities, and Public Health. Virginia.

5. National Communication Association (NCA) – Which Americans Understand That Climate Change Harms Their Physical, Mental, Social Health, and Community Livability? Denver, Colorado.

6. Eastern Communication Association (ECA) Basic Course Conference – Great Ideas for Teaching Students. Buffalo, New York.

In the Media

1. The Conversation US – Co-authored an op-ed on the environmental and public health impacts of data centers, republished by 20+ news outlets, including Japan Today.

2. U.S. News & World Report – Interviewed on the environmental and public health impacts of data centers.

4. 88.5 WFDD, NPR – Radio and podcast interview discussing the public health implications of data center expansion.

5. The Virginian-Pilot – Published an op-ed on the environmental and public health implications of data center expansion.

6. Pennsylvania Capital-Star – Featured in coverage on the environmental and community impacts of data centers.

7. Wellcome Trust – Research featured on the role of health communication in increasing public support for climate action.

8. George Mason University – Department of Communication – Featured research on the potential health impacts of Virginia's rapid data center expansion.

9. George Mason University – Mason 4C – Research featured on climate change, health communication, and public engagement.

10. The Independent - Research featured on data centers and health implications.

11. Fairfax County Times – Interviewed on the local impacts of data center expansion in Northern Virginia.

12. KIII-TV (ABC Corpus Christi) – Television interview on the environmental and health implications of large-scale data center development.