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MESM 2026

Pronouns: he/him

Bio
William Dean graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC, 2020) with a B.S. in Environmental Science and a minor in Sustainability Studies. During his undergraduate career, he worked at the Center for Agroecology and interned for the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) as a student technician. Upon graduation, William continued his work in agriculture as the seasonal manager of two local orchards, assistant manager of Chadwick Garden, and the organic agricultural technician for the UCSC farm. Pivoting to focus on research, he worked as a Physical Scientist with the USGS in the Water Resources Mission Area. The complex connections he found between food systems and water resources thus inspired him to pursue higher education in those subject areas. At the Bren School, William is aiming to deepen his understanding of the relationships between ecohydrological and agricultural systems through the lens of socioecology.