Rhysea is a PhD student at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, where she focuses on communication and storytelling around climate change and the environment.  

Before joining the PhD program, Rhysea worked at the USC Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication, where she analyzed trends in the climate communication landscape for the Center’s annual Temperature Check reports as well as media discourse in North America around climate change in Greenland and the Arctic. She also wrote, directed and was an associate producer for a special podcast season of Electric Futures: My Story is a Climate Story.  

Rhysea has also worked as a journalist, covering the environment, health, politics, religion, and social issues. She was the inaugural managing editor of The Xylom, an award-winning science newsroom, and currently sits on its editorial board. Her work has been published in outlets including Los Angeles Times, CalMatters and Sojourners, and she has appeared on radio stations such as CapRadio, LAist, KCBS and KQED to talk about her reporting. 

Outside of work, Rhysea’s interests include classical literature, boxing and martial arts, and food.