Career shift incoming!
I’ve had an amazing journey in academic research for the last three decades, from graduate work at the Nicholas School of the Environment, post-doctoral research at the Desert Research Institute, and faculty positions at the University of California, Irvine, the University of Utah School of Biological Sciences, and the Arizona State University School of Sustainability.
My lab explored the weird and often wonderful world of urban nature, from urban forest diversity and water use, backyard carbon and nitrogen cycles, ecosystem interactions with greenhouse gases and pollution, socioecology, and environmental equity. I’ve had the good fortune to work with dozens of talented and dedicated students, postdocs, and collaborators from all backgrounds. We’ve discovered so many ways in which people and nature interact and depend on each other in cities and ecosystems across the U.S.
People and nature CAN thrive together, even in the face of growing threats like climate change, habitat loss, and environmental injustices. As Indigenous peoples have long championed, and western science is just beginning to acknowledge, communities can and will chart a course toward just and effective solutions for climate, biodiversity, and equity. This requires an ongoing commitment to sound science – including honoring Indigenous knowledges and sovereignty – as well as to collaboration, democratic and civic engagement, and equity and justice for all communities.
It's my goal to dedicate the rest of my career to a future in which people and nature thrive together. So I’ve accepted a new position as Chief Scientist and Vice President for Science of the National Wildlife Federation, the oldest and largest grassroots conservation organization in the U.S, with the nation’s most diverse and extensive alliance of nature enthusiasts all across the social, political, and ecological spectrum.
Have you looked at NWF’s programs and three-pillar strategic plan lately? Whatever your environmental interest or background, there is an NWF program to support you. Here are just a few:
And of course, Ranger Rick has more great kid-friendly science and nature content than ever.
I’ve committed to helping NWF meet the moment in ensuring that wildlife, people, and ecosystems thrive. Won’t you join us?
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