John Noonan's interests lie in the areas of English language learning for the purposes of journalism, communications and various forms of mass media. In particular, he is interested in English language environmental writing, media ethics, visual media production and experiential learning.

Prior to attending journalism school, Noonan obtained a TESOL certificate, and has taught ESL for over 20 years, from Istanbul, Turkey, to New York City. Most recently, he was the director and main instructor for Shantou University's global media honors program, a select all-English major at STU, where he worked for 14 years. At that program, he was also the co-creator of a unique public service course, which combined English language learning and environmental protection efforts to proactively safeguard threatened tropical forest ecosystems in the Chaoshan region of China.
Noonan holds a B.Sc. in anthropology from the University of Florida, a TESOL certificate from Trinity College, Edinburgh, Scotland, and an M.Sc. in journalism from Columbia University.