Education

Ph.D., Organizational Communication and Technology, University of Texas at Austin
M.A., Strategic Communication, Purdue University
B.A., Public Relations, University of Oklahoma

Background

 Delaney Harness previously served as an assistant professor of digital and organizational communication at the University of Cincinnati. Before academia, she was a researcher with APCO Worldwide’s Insights Team, part of a global advocacy and strategic communication firm, where she specialized in public affairs and environmental advocacy.

Awards

 Top Paper Award, 2020, 2023 and 2025, National Communication Association Organizational Communication Division
Top Student Paper Award, 2020, National Communication Association Organizational Communication Division
Top Paper Award, 2020, International Communication Association Organizational Communication Division
Summer Dissertation Fellow, University of Texas at Austin Moody College of Communication
Finalist, Harlan Teaching Award, 2017, Purdue University Brian Lamb School of Communication
C-SPAN Graduate Fellowship, 2016–2017, Purdue University

Research Areas of Interest

Harness studies how communication shapes environmental accountability, risk, and governance. Her current work focuses on water quality and PFAS, examining how data, regulatory systems, and organizational communication shape public understanding, trust, and responsibility. This research builds on her work on the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), sustainability reporting, and carbon markets, where she examines how AI, blockchain, and other technologies reshape transparency and accountability. Harness has extensive experience in international and interdisciplinary collaborations, including MISTRA- and Swedish Research Council-funded projects with researchers and partners in Sweden, and develops cross-disciplinary research connecting communication, environmental science, public health, and policy.

Grants and Funded Research

Taft Summer Fellowship, $10,500, 2024
Principal Investigator. Funded research examining blockchain as a traceability and accountability mechanism in carbon credit markets.

MISTRA Support Funds, $20,000, 2023
Principal Investigator. Developed and facilitated a workshop on sustainability policy, reporting, and decision-making practices for sustainability consultants in collaboration with Swedish research and industry partners.

MISTRA Research Grant, $900,000, 2019–2022
Lead Graduate Researcher. International research initiative examining the role of market-based organizations and communication in shaping sustainability practices and environmental governance.

Teaching

Harness takes a theory-to-practice approach to teaching, helping students connect communication concepts to real-world problems and professional decision-making. Her courses emphasize applied learning through case studies, research projects, simulations and discussion of contemporary issues. She encourages students to think critically about not only what makes communication effective, but also the responsibilities and ethical consequences that come with communication choices. Harness aims to create challenging but supportive classrooms that prepare students to analyze complex problems, make thoughtful decisions and apply what they learn beyond the classroom.

Recent Publications

Harness, D. (2025). Transparency in action: Iterative engagement with the UNGC and MISTRA environmental communication program. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 53(1), 80-83.

Ganesh, S., Harness, D., James, S., Klingelhoefer, J.Schnell, M., Palakshappa, N. (2024) The powerpoint imagination: Visualization and managerial vocabularies in sustainability reports. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management.

Harness, D. (2023) The constant report: Everything, everywhere, all at once?. Public Relations Review.

Harness, D., Ganesh, S. &, Stohl, C. (2023). Visibility agents: Organizing transparency the digital era. New Media and Society. 

Service

Co-Secretary, Global Strategic Communication Consortium
Editorial Review Board Member, Journal of Applied Communication Research

Personal

Harness has lived in six countries and traveled to more than 30, which has shaped both her curiosity about the world and her tendency to start planning the next trip before the current one is over. Before becoming a professor, she worked in public relations and global research consulting, experiences that took her from corporate reputation work to projects involving sustainability, human rights and international organizations.