Distinguished Alumni Inez Ponce de Leon

Inez Z. Ponce de Leon, (Ph.D., Focus on Science and Risk Communication, 2011) is an associate professor at the Department of Communication at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Philippines.

Photo of Inez Ponce de Leon
Inez Ponce de Leon, 2022 ASEC Distinguished Alumnus

She specializes in science and risk communication and teaches courses in qualitative communication research methods, undergraduate thesis, and science and risk communication. Her research centers around the public understanding of risk, community responses to natural hazards, climate change communication, and constructs of nationalism in online discourse. Her research has won awards, including the Avellana Professorial Chair for Communication and the School of Social Science’s Outstanding Scholarly Work Award. Her students also have won national awards for their work in journalism research and projects.

Dr. Ponce de Leon is a consultant on agricultural biotechnology communication, a public speaker for topics such as science communication and research-based communication work, and a resource person for journalists working on science, agriculture, and natural hazard stories. She also is a weekly columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Philippines most-widely circulated English-language newspaper.

Featured Stories

A sign reading "Hobart and Russell Creighton Hall of Animal Sciences."
2026–27 Animal Sciences scholarship recipients announced

Purdue Animal Sciences awarded $96,300 in scholarships to students for the 2026–27 school...

Read More
Victoria Uyanga
Uyanga brings interdisciplinary approach to poultry science at Purdue

Victoria Uyanga brings expertise in poultry nutrition, physiology and immunology to Purdue Animal...

Read More
A woman wearing glasses and a black jacket stands in front of a large tree, smiling at the camera.
Purdue food scientists encourage caution about AI chatbot advice

AI chatbots can provide useful food safety analysis. However, according to an analysis conducted...

Read More
Andrew Reyes works on target training with female giraffes Asha (left) and Jasiri (right); Andrew presents his research findings to Brookfield Zoo Chicago animal care leadership.
FNR Field Report: Andrew Reyes

Senior wildlife major Andrew Reyes spent his summer as an animal care intern at Brookfield Zoo...

Read More
Xiurui 'Iris' Cui
Xiurui Cui - Postdoctoral Scholar Feature

It wasn’t until she was actually in a veterinary hospital, attempting to give an injection...

Read More
A young Kristin Floress stands in a forested area with a friend in 2006; Floress stands in front of ruins in 2017; Floress holds her Distinguished Alumni plaque in April 2026.
Meet Kristin Floress: 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient

Dr. Kristin Floress, who earned her PhD from Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources in 2008, has...

Read More