Students in the Bren School PhD in Environmental Science and Management program develop broad and specialized knowledge, analytical powers, technical skills, and creative thinking to become leaders in environmental science and management. 

The Bren School's interdisciplinary foundation also bolsters the PhD program, reflecting the fact that environmental problem solving frequently requires collaboration and innovation across multiple disciplines. Whether focused on natural sciences, economics, policy, digital data and modeling, communication, or some combination, the work of Bren PhD students is a balance of research and application. With the knowledge and skills acquired here, Bren PhD graduates pursue careers in academia, research, public agencies, non-profit organizations, and business.

CURRENT PHD RESEARCH

COMPLETED DISSERTATIONS BY YEAR

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Current PhD Research

 

People

Bonnie Basnett: Small-scale fisheries, fisheries management, marine ecology, conservation

Linus Blomqvist: Land use, conservation, agricultural economics

Anna Boser: Ecosystem services, data science, remote sensing, public health

Kaili Brande: Landscape ecology, fire ecology, plant ecology

Alicia (Allie) Caughman: Marine ecology, conservation, data science

Nestor (Mauricio) Collado: Fisheries, Regulation, Forestry, Environmental Modelling

Anna Costola Pede: Environmental economics, economics of land use

James Cunningham: Ecosystem services, land use, climate change, data science, environmental policy

Sadie Cwikiel: Climate change, marine ecology, oceanography, fisheries

Gemma Del Rossi: Ecosystem services, food-energy-water systems, environmental and agricultural economics

Sean Denny: Wildlife ecology and conservation; human-wildlife conflict; illegal wildlife trade; livelihoods; sustainable use

Athena DiBartolo: Disease Ecology, Epidemiology, Mycology, Vector-Borne Diseases, Climate Change

Emilie Difede: Environmental Policy, International Relations, Natural Resource Governance, Environmental Economics, Geopolitics, Climate Justice

Yutian Fang: Marine ecology, marine mammal, fishery management, marine conservation

Patricia Faundez: Marine conservation and planning

Leonardo Feitosa: Elasmobranchs, conservation, habitat use, marine ecology, fisheries

Lesley Figueroa: Marine Ecology; Marine Conservation; Resilience

Elliott Finn: Investigating interactions between legislators and grassroots ecosystem management organizations through environmental politics, public policy and collaborative management

Soon Ye (Yuki) Floyd: Environmental microbiology, plastic pollution, bioremediation

Kelly Garvey: Groundwater, data science, water law and policy

Nathan Grimes: Ocean conservation, sustainable fisheries

Yifan He: Environmental politics, land system science, biodiversity conservation, land governance, land use change

Annette Hilton: Groundwater quantity, groundwater quality, water resource management

Liviu Iancu: Biogeochemistry, soil microbial ecology, nutrient cycles, climate change, climate change p

Olivia Isbell: Marine biology; coral reef ecology and conservation management

Mukta Kelkar: Marine ecology, climate change, marine resource management

Polycarp Komakech: Citizen involvement, coproduction of public service delivery, public administration and democratization in the context of emerging democracies dealing with environmental challenges.

Simran Koul: Public Health, PM2.5, Environmental Impact

Brian Lee: Spatial ecology, remote sensing, land-use change, deforestation

Karina Lessley (Johnston): Coastal adaptation and policy, beach and dune restoration, coastal wetlands, marine ecology

Risa Lewis: Climate Change Information; Voluntary Climate Action; Emotional Well-being

Shay Magahey: Climate modeling, El Nino/Southern Oscillation, climate change, physical oceanography

Flavio Malagutti: Environmental economics, development economics, and field experiments

Renae Marshall: Energy policy, decarbonization, bipartisan climate solutions

Trace Martin: Microbiological water quality, microbial source tracking, water and wastewater treatment, water resources

Kinsey Matthews: Marine Ecology, Fisheries Management, Conservation, Dynamic Ocean Management

Jamie Miller: Coastal dune and beach ecology, restoration, wildlife conservation

Michelle Mohr: Forest ecology, dendrochronology, climate change

Fatiq Nadeem: Environmental and Development Economics

Aidan O'Neil: Industrial Decarbonization, Life-Cycle Analysis, Energy Systems Decarbonization

Cali Pfleger: Climate modeling

Sanjay Poudel: Energy Systems, Energy Markets

Rebecca (Becca) Reynolds: Microplastic pollution, plastic pollution, environmental microbiology, surface water and groundwater quality, soil quality, bioremediation, urban water infrastructure

Emma Rigatti: Terrestrial Carbon Cycle, Climate Change, Land-System Models, Ecohydrology

Olivia Ross: Forest Disturbance, Wildfire Ecology, Climate Change

Ojas Sarup: Eco-hydrology, watersheds, riparian ecosystems, socio-ecological systems

Liliana Sierra Castillo: Small-scale fisheries, fisheries stock assessment, fish ecology, ecological data analysis

Crystal Silliman: Vector-Borne Disease Ecology, Public Health, Global Change Ecology

Zoe Sims: Agriculture, nutrient cycling, tropical ecology, environmental policy

Jaxon Stuhr: Energy Systems Analysis, Industrial Sustainability, Life-cycle Analysis

Sandy Sum: Agriculture systems, natural resources, applied econometrics

Sebastian Tapia: Small-scale fisheries management; adaptive capacity; resilience

Wen Tien Wang: Energy policy, energy transition, air quality

Alessandra Vidal Meza: Biodiversity, Wildlife Ecology, Conservation Technology

Jaenna Wessling: Industrial ecology, sustainability of apparel, life-cycle assessment

Chen Xing: Climate dynamics and mechanisms, climate responses to volcanic forcing, and climate modeling

José Zenteno: Coastal aquaculture, marine ecology, vulnerability, marine spatial planning

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Are you ready to solve environmental problems?

Request more information, get to know the Bren School, and start planning your application today.