Update April 2022: At present I do not have any funding available for new students, however I am interested in potentially recruiting new students who can bring in substantial fellowship funding of their own, and/or would be competitive for university level fellowships at Minnesota (which primarily focus on broadening participation in graduate programs among traditionally underrepresented groups of US citizens and permanent residents). I generally do not take on new students who I am not confident about being able to fund, the flip side of that being that I can usually fund (at least close to fully) the tuition and stipends of all students who I advise for most of their period of study with me.
I am looking for outstanding students who have a strong interest in participating in my current research projects to come study for their MS or PhD with me in our highly ranked graduate program in Natural Resources Science and Management. Students who come here should expect to work closely with me on my research, and PhD students will be expected to develop a substantial independent research project that builds on my research interests. Within the broad field of natural resource policy, my current theoretical focus is on the interactions between public participation, political advocacy, inequality,, environemtnal justice the use of science, and the incentives of government officials in land management decision-making and policy change, as well as the impacts of those decisions on poor and/or otherwise disadvantaged people and on environmental conservation. I currently have active research projects in Minnesota, South Asia, and Mesoamerica, and am developing research that looks at broader global policies.
I am looking for students who will help me with outstanding skills and a strong interest in developing expertise in the political economy of the environment, and in particular the research problems outlined above. Students should have, or be interested in developing, strong skills in social science research design, data collection, qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques, and theory (most of the theories my work draws from derive from political science, public administration, and social-ecological systems research communities). They should also be strong writers. Most of our graduate students are funded through a combination of research and teaching assistantships, much of which will be the result of grants. Outstanding students who are US citizens or permanent residents from underrepresented backgrounds may be eligible for additional fellowship funding from the university. Students are strongly encouraged to seek out additional funding to support their work prior to their arrival, and simultaneously with the application process - potential funding sources include the National Science Graduate Research Fellowship (for US Citizens and Permanent Residents) and the Fulbright program (for citizens of other countries), among many others.
If you are interested in working with me, please send me an email detailing:
Please be sure to study the admissions requirements and process for the NSRM program, and direct any questions about the admissions process to the NSRM program office (contact information is at the bottom of the linked page). I may be able to admit 1-2 students each year to work with me, however this is dependent on funding which is uncertain. We generally do not take students who we can't fully fund with research or teaching assistantships or fellowships, and students who are able to obtain their own fellowships can sometimes obtain matching grants.
In addition to mentoring my own students, I have served on the graduate committees of many students across the University of Minnesota and at other universities whose interests and research needs intersect with my own. If you are interested in having me serve on your committee, please contact me much as you would if you were applying to work with me (with the difference being that I will not be making any decisions about your admission into a graduate program in the first place and thus don't need to know details of your test results, academic transcripts, or funding sources).
I think that the decision to pursue a graduate degree is one that should be taken seriously. Graduate degrees can greatly enhance your learning and your career prospects, but do not necessarily do so. Furthermore, many people can obtain equivalent level career enhancement and learning through less time consuming and expensive methods. I encourage prospective students to thoroughly consider their own goals - and research their perspective careers - to make sure they know what they are getting into. While this article is from a somewhat different field than mine - I think the career prospects of people with masters and PhDs in natural resources with a focus on environmental policy are somewhat better than most other social science (or biological) focuses - it provides a useful perspective on what you are getting yourself into, which you should familiarize yourself with before applying. International students may find the advice of a biologist friend of mine - aimed particularly at international applicants - helpful. Again, conservation biology is different than environmental policy, but the similarities are greater than the differences. Another great article for international students examines the reasons why you should (or should not) pursue a PhD in a western country if you are from a developing country. Again, advanced study can be wonderful, but if not approached with knowledge of the process, it will not necessarily be wonderful - nor will it necessarily enhance your future career. Finally, here is a great warning about some of the things that you might not have thought about regarding obtaining a PhD. I think one way that our program differs from many PhD programs is that while we aim to prepare students who wish to for academic careers, we also have a strong record of placing students in non-academic but rewarding careers (for example, working as scientists for government agencies, large NGOs, or natural resource businesses), both locally here in Minnesota and farther afield. This means that our program ought to be more appealing than many programs which really just aim to train future faculty in an environment where academic jobs can be quite difficult to obtain.
I am looking for outstanding students who have a strong interest in participating in my current research projects to come study for their MS or PhD with me in our highly ranked graduate program in Natural Resources Science and Management. Students who come here should expect to work closely with me on my research, and PhD students will be expected to develop a substantial independent research project that builds on my research interests. Within the broad field of natural resource policy, my current theoretical focus is on the interactions between public participation, political advocacy, inequality,, environemtnal justice the use of science, and the incentives of government officials in land management decision-making and policy change, as well as the impacts of those decisions on poor and/or otherwise disadvantaged people and on environmental conservation. I currently have active research projects in Minnesota, South Asia, and Mesoamerica, and am developing research that looks at broader global policies.
I am looking for students who will help me with outstanding skills and a strong interest in developing expertise in the political economy of the environment, and in particular the research problems outlined above. Students should have, or be interested in developing, strong skills in social science research design, data collection, qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques, and theory (most of the theories my work draws from derive from political science, public administration, and social-ecological systems research communities). They should also be strong writers. Most of our graduate students are funded through a combination of research and teaching assistantships, much of which will be the result of grants. Outstanding students who are US citizens or permanent residents from underrepresented backgrounds may be eligible for additional fellowship funding from the university. Students are strongly encouraged to seek out additional funding to support their work prior to their arrival, and simultaneously with the application process - potential funding sources include the National Science Graduate Research Fellowship (for US Citizens and Permanent Residents) and the Fulbright program (for citizens of other countries), among many others.
If you are interested in working with me, please send me an email detailing:
- Your research interests and career goals.
- How you perceive those interests fitting with my research agenda as outlined above.
- Your background in research, including your skills in research design, data collection, analysis, and writing.
- Your experience in and knowledge of the particular region in which you plan to work (for example, if you wish to work in a remote area of Minnesota, you should show me that you are comfortable with the climatic conditions you will encounter there and in working with the kinds of people who live there - similarly, if you wish to work in India, what is your experience living and working in remote villages and forest areas in that country?).
- Your academic background, including past degrees earned/schools attended and grade point average (or foreign equivalent - please explain the meaning of your equivalent as I am not familiar with the grading scales used outside of the US). If required for you I need your TOEFL/IELTS score (see this site for information on minimum English language test scores for the university and who is required to provide them - the brief summary is that you need to have a previous degree from a primarily English speaking country, but there are some complications). Note that as of November 2020, the NRSM graduate program no longer requires the GRE. Since I do not expect most applicants to have GRE scores, please don't send them to me even if you do have them, as I will not be considering them.
- If you believe that you may be eligible for a fellowship because you are a US citizen member of an underrepresented group, please say so. If you have access to additional funding sources, or are applying for them, please mention them.
Please be sure to study the admissions requirements and process for the NSRM program, and direct any questions about the admissions process to the NSRM program office (contact information is at the bottom of the linked page). I may be able to admit 1-2 students each year to work with me, however this is dependent on funding which is uncertain. We generally do not take students who we can't fully fund with research or teaching assistantships or fellowships, and students who are able to obtain their own fellowships can sometimes obtain matching grants.
In addition to mentoring my own students, I have served on the graduate committees of many students across the University of Minnesota and at other universities whose interests and research needs intersect with my own. If you are interested in having me serve on your committee, please contact me much as you would if you were applying to work with me (with the difference being that I will not be making any decisions about your admission into a graduate program in the first place and thus don't need to know details of your test results, academic transcripts, or funding sources).
I think that the decision to pursue a graduate degree is one that should be taken seriously. Graduate degrees can greatly enhance your learning and your career prospects, but do not necessarily do so. Furthermore, many people can obtain equivalent level career enhancement and learning through less time consuming and expensive methods. I encourage prospective students to thoroughly consider their own goals - and research their perspective careers - to make sure they know what they are getting into. While this article is from a somewhat different field than mine - I think the career prospects of people with masters and PhDs in natural resources with a focus on environmental policy are somewhat better than most other social science (or biological) focuses - it provides a useful perspective on what you are getting yourself into, which you should familiarize yourself with before applying. International students may find the advice of a biologist friend of mine - aimed particularly at international applicants - helpful. Again, conservation biology is different than environmental policy, but the similarities are greater than the differences. Another great article for international students examines the reasons why you should (or should not) pursue a PhD in a western country if you are from a developing country. Again, advanced study can be wonderful, but if not approached with knowledge of the process, it will not necessarily be wonderful - nor will it necessarily enhance your future career. Finally, here is a great warning about some of the things that you might not have thought about regarding obtaining a PhD. I think one way that our program differs from many PhD programs is that while we aim to prepare students who wish to for academic careers, we also have a strong record of placing students in non-academic but rewarding careers (for example, working as scientists for government agencies, large NGOs, or natural resource businesses), both locally here in Minnesota and farther afield. This means that our program ought to be more appealing than many programs which really just aim to train future faculty in an environment where academic jobs can be quite difficult to obtain.