Robert B. Lull, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Science Communication

California State University, Fresno

Welcome to my professional home on the internet! I am an Associate Professor of Science Communication at California State University, Fresno.

I teach in the areas of Science and Environmental Communication, Communication Theory, and Communication Technology. You’ll find information about current courses, upcoming courses, and open educational resources at my Teaching page.

My research examines science communication and storytelling. I’m trained as a social scientist, but my methods are eclectic. Most of my research time is currently spent writing my book Our Natural Lab: Remarkable Stories of Science from America’s National Parks (to be published in 2026 by Oxford University Press). This book curates some of the most “story-worthy” scientific pursuits in national parks via historical research of the scientific record and archival documents. Seldom told but pivotal to science, technology, and health history, such stories include decades of lead contamination research from a remote Yosemite canyon and a half century of extreme environment research in Yellowstone’s hot springs that launched the biotechnology industry.

Other projects include my second book examining linguistic trends in science and nature documentaries and a recently published content analysis of climate communication in national parks. You’ll find more about current and previous projects at my Research page.

My research and teaching is frequently inspired by nature. If I’m not in the classroom or working, I’m probably outside hiking, kayaking, cycling, camping, etc. Here’s a small sample of photos from my travels. Each of these photos has a deeper story in its connection to my work. Click the images if you want to hear about the cool science behind the sites or click the names in the captions for the actual research.

Bumpass Hell, Lassen Volcanic National Park: Did life originate in thermal pools? (Damer & Deamer, 2020)
Skull Cave, Lava Beds National Monument: How will we live elsewhere in the solar system? And where might we find microbial life? (Perkins, 2021)
Ubehebe Crater, Death Valley National Park: How do we practice exploring other worlds? (Eyles & Daurio, 2015)
North Crater Flow Trail, Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve: Plastic waste superimposed in the trail interior approximates how much microplastic rains down on the monument each year – 810,526 plastic bottles worth, enough to fill 57% of the trail interior (Brahney, Hallerud, Heim, Hahnenberger, & Sukumaran, 2020)
Mammoth Cave National Park: Professor Nathaniel Kleitman and his graduate student Bruce Richardson exit the cave after spending 32 nights underground at Rafinesque Hall, in the process establishing and popularizing sleep science as an academic pursuit (Kleitman, 1939)