Francesco Fiondella

Pronouns: He/Him

Associate Director, Communications and Special Projects, Communications, Columbia Climate School

Instructor, M.A. in Climate and Society

BIOGRAPHY:

Francesco has more than 15 years of experience in strategic science communication, visual communication,  and media relations. Since 2020, he has also been teaching courses at Columbia on science communication and strategic climate communication. He holds master’s degrees in both journalism and environmental science from Columbia University.

Before joining the Climate School communications team, Francesco was the head of communications for the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, where he used his writing and photography to convey how some of the world’s most vulnerable people struggle with the realities of climate, and what scientists are doing about it. 

He is especially interested in ways to bring science into the public sphere through collaborations with artists, photographers, and other cultural messengers. He is on the advisory board of Planet Forward. Before joining Columbia, Francesco worked as an information graphics editor and staff writer at The Wall Street Journal.

RECENT POSTS FROM STATE OF THE PLANET

Apr 22, 2025

Science for the Planet: Tackling the Invisible Threat of Nanoplastics

Beizhan Yan, an environmental geochemist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, has come up with new methods to detect and analyze tiny plastic particles to better understand their impact on human and environmental health.

Apr 11, 2025

Science for the Planet: Creating Climate Solutions with Urban Communities

Climate School professor Sheila Foster works with frontline communities on climate adaptation strategies.

Apr 03, 2025

Science for the Planet: In Madagascar, Learning From a Library of Human Experience

Archaeologist Kristina Douglass explains how past human adaptation can inform solutions to modern climate challenges.

Nov 08, 2024

35 Years of Harnessing the Power of Geospatial Data for Decision Making

CIESIN's mission is to make complex environmental, social and economic data easy to access and use so that people can make better decisions about pressing issues like climate change, disaster response and sustainable development.