I am an interdisciplinary and mixed-methods researcher in the human, religious, and ethical dimensions of environmental conservation and natural resource management. I utilize a range of methods (including quantitative surveys, qualitative interviews, and content analyses) to better understand the relationships between people and their environments.
My research draws on a wide range of fields including ecology, psychology, sociology, communication, and religious studies. Key theoretical frameworks that I work with include:
· Theory of Planned Behavior
· Frame Theory
· Cultural Cognition of Risk
· Moral Foundations Theory
· Christian Nationalism
Environmental problems are people problems, and when the environment is not healthy, people are not healthy. Grounded in the conservation social sciences, I work in complex social-ecological systems—such as small-scale fisheries—to analyze the role that people play in environmental problems and solutions. This includes collaborating with the international CLEAT project to analyze the effects of climate change on Lake Tanganyika, a biodiversity hotspot and one of the largest inland fisheries across Africa.
I also served as the human dimensions expert for a global study—in collaboration with the UF Land and Water Lab, the USGS National Climate Adaptation Science Center, and the UN FAO—on perceptions of threats to inland fisheries.
The Katonga fish landing site on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania
A sacred grove persisting amidst a deforested landscape in Tanzania
Faith leaders at the People’s Climate March in New York City, USA (PC: YECA)
Although often neglected in conservation and natural resource fields, religions and faith communities can play profound and integral roles in shaping how people understand and relate to the ecosystems around them. A major focus of my research is on on how Christians engage around climate and environmental concerns.
Another area of research is on the role of religion in natural resource conservation and fisheries management in particular.
At their roots, environmental problems are also moral/ethical problems, and our attitudes and actions are invariably grounded in and guided by what and how we choose to value. Toward this end, I draw on a wide range of ethical and philosophical perspectives—including environmental pragmatism, social/environmental/intergenerational justice, stewardship models, theocentrism, virtue ethics, and more—to evaluate and inform how we understand and engage the interconnected social and ecological challenges of our time.
The Beaver Pond at the Au Sable Institute in Michigan, USA
