Josh Grimm

Doris Westmoreland Darden Professor
203 Hodges Hall | 225-578-9294 | jgrimm@lsu.edu 

Biography

Josh Grimm is the Doris Westmoreland Darden Professor. He previously served as the School's interim dean from 2020-2023. Prior to his role as interim dean, he was the School's associate dean of undergraduate studies. Grimm earned his master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and received his doctorate from the University of Iowa. He teaches a range of journalism and mass communication courses, including In-Depth Reporting, Advanced Journalism, Race and Gender in Political Communication and Media Law. In 2017, Grimm received the Faculty Excellence Award from the LSU Alumni Association.

Grimm completed his doctorate from the University of Iowa in 2009, after which he taught at Texas Tech University until joining the LSU faculty in 2012. While at Tech, he received the Alumni Association’s New Faculty Award and the Mortar Board’s Apple Polishing Award for teaching. 

The main focus of Grimm's research is how diversity is portrayed in the media, with an emphasis on race, gender and sexuality. Most recently, his focus has been on how gay men talk about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), and he is partnering with Baton Rouge clinics to study how to improve those health messaging strategies.  

Grimm also loves science fiction and horror movies. He recently authored a book on the modern horror classic "It Follows" and hopes his next piece will be on portrayals of race in 1950s monster movies. In his spare time, Grimm enjoys running, reading, hiking and spending time with family. He is also a die-hard college football fan, and he unapologetically adores Hallmark Christmas movies.

Recent Publications