Understanding the Social-Ecological Dynamics of Natural Resources Exploitation and Governance

Our impact on, and vulnerability to, environmental change is deeply intertwined with the social and physical structures that mediate our interactions with nature.

My work draws on complex systems theory as well as theories of governance, power, and collective action to develop novel approaches for understanding social-ecological systems in transition. I use mathematical and computational modeling, sometimes in conjunction with qualitative methods, to explore how the infrastructure, institutions, and economic structures that shape how people use and benefit from resources shape system-level responses to change and differentiated outcomes.

My modeling work falls along two main tracks, broadly: 1) Generalizable models that link structure and function for a broad class of social-ecological systems, and 2) Empirically grounded models of the social dynamics of resource use and management, informed by participatory model-building, to advance understandings of the diverse ways people conceptualize, respond to, and create change in environmental systems. See my current and recent projects here.