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This study investigates how tenure-track faculty from historically marginalized groups in the environmental sciences approach science communication based on their self-identities. A thematic analysis of 28 in-depth interviews with U.S.-based participants using the Communication Theory of Identity and Border-Crossing Theory was conducted to explore the interrelation of layers of identity, the identity gaps participants experience, and their communication practices. The results show that communication merges fragments of identity not to form a fixed identity, but to create an evolving consciousness about who you are and how you communicate. Implications for science communication training are discussed. 

This study initially reports on qualitative interviews (n = 17) with scientists at two Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites in the northeastern United States. These interviews suggest the need for greater attention to the role of communication professionals and institutional leadership in fostering high-quality public engagement. The study also reports on a follow-up quantitative survey (n = 68) conducted to better understand the degree to which LTER scientists’ views about communication professionals were meaningfully associated with perceptions about the need for robust engagement funding. The project was initially designed based on the Integrated Behavioral Model to assess how individual LTER scientists’ engagement-related attitudes, normative beliefs, and efficacy beliefs affected their communication activities. However, the combined results highlight the potential value of additional research and theorization aimed at better understanding the factors that might lead to greater cooperation between scientists and organizational communicators.