Pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree

Research Areas: Political Ecology, Wildlife Conservation Law Enforcement

Supervisors: Juanita Sundberg & Mohammed Rafi Arefin

Degrees:  B.A. Economics, William Jewell College; M.A. Power, Participation and Social Change, Institute of Development Studies (IDS)

Research Statement: My research focuses on the political, economic, and cultural drivers of national and regional biodiversity crises across the United States. Specifically, my thesis combines ethnography, interviews, and archival research to study the politics of wildlife conservation law enforcement – a dominant and flexible state solution for fixing these crises. As a political ecologist, I am particularly interested in understanding how power, place, and histories of science, colonialism, capitalist development, and social movements shape the practices and experiences of conservation policing in America today.