Principal Investigator
Dr. Chloe B. Wardropper
Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Policy and Sustainable Landscapes
I am an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist trained in theoretical and applied research. My research group conducts mixed-methods research studies on issues at the nexus of water and working lands affected by climate change, drawing on theories of individual and collective action and public performance management and data use. Our work has been funded by agencies including EPA, NASA, NIH, NSF, USDA, and USGS. Before arriving at UIUC, I was an assistant professor in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho. In 2017, I was a postdoctoral fellow with Purdue University and The Nature Conservancy’s reThink Soil Health initiative.
B.A., College of Social Studies, Wesleyan University, 2009
Ph.D., Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2017
Email: chloew@illinois.edu
NRES page: https://nres.illinois.edu/directory/chloew
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr. Nick Bergmann
Nick is a qualitative social scientist with research interests in environmental governance, co-production of knowledge, and more-than-human geographies. As a critical human-environment geographer, Nick’s research operates in both contemporary and historical contexts and analyzes socioecological dynamics of environmental conflict and change.
Projects: Community-Based Herbicide Resistance Management; WHIISL
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Idaho
PhD, Earth Sciences (Geography), Montana State University, 2020
MA, Geography, Portland State University, 2013
AB, Classical Studies, Hamilton College, 2010
Dr. Ashley Colby
I am interested broadly in sustainable and resilient food systems and understanding the ways in which social institutions either enhance or present barriers to these systems. My current focus is on voluntary carbon markets. In my current project funded by the Environmental Defense Fund, I have spoken to project developers in the carbon market to understand what kind of discourse surrounds the way they understand their role in the formation of the marketplace. I am will soon be speaking with both conventional and underrepresented farmers to shed light in the barriers to equity and access within the voluntary soil carbon market.
Project: Assessing equity in access of Midwestern farmers to the US voluntary soil carbon sequestration market
Ph.D. Washington State University, environmental sociology
M.A. Washington State University, environmental sociology
B.A. University of Chicago, cinema and media studies
Doctoral Students
Nouman Afzal
I am an environmental social scientists interested: (1) in the production and use of information in natural resource management and decision-making; (2) and the role of beliefs, attitudes, and values in in this. My research focuses on groundwater resource in agricultural area. Presently, I am working on a project funded by USDA-NIFA investigating the use of hydrological models by policy actors, farmers, municipalities etc. for water-related decision making in Kansas, United States. I am specifically looking at what and how ecological and epistemic values influence or are associated with various decisions, and how does uncertainty affect trust in hydrological models and scientists in general. I am also planning to conduct fieldwork in Pakistan in summer 2024 investigating how changes in the monsoon season are perceived by various stakeholders, and how does information related to it is communicated and applied. I previously worked at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) managing projects related to food waste and loss, livelihood improvements and agroforestry.
Project: USDA-NIFA Kansas Water Project, Sustaining ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes through a better understanding of decision-support systems
MSc. Environment and Development, University of Leeds, UK
BSc. (Hons.) Geography/GIS, Forman Christian College, Pakistan
Sarah Castle
I am a transdisciplinary environmental social scientist focused on nature-based climate solutions and understanding the social-ecological dynamics that shape the success of conservation and development actions. My work focuses on forests and agroforestry systems to advance knowledge of their contributions to climate change, sustainable livelihoods, and conservation. I study the social-ecological impacts of agroforestry as a nature-based climate solution. Currently, I am modeling the suitability and potential impacts of agroforestry using geospatial datasets and economics models, complemented by qualitative research to better understand adoption decision-making. Additionally, I use large-scale geospatial data to investigate the relationships between human development, forests and forest cover change, and area-based conservation policies to advance scholarly debates and understand policy targets.
Project: Agroforestry in Illinois
M.S., Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (2019)
B.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (2012)
Heather Craska
Broadly, I am interested in the human dimensions of conservation and natural resource management, specifically within watershed and agricultural areas. More specifically, I am interested in how people make decisions related to conservation practices and how they use/ and or trust scientific information. My current project focuses on exploring the impacts of demonstration farm networks on the adoption of BMPs, specifically cover crops, in Wisconsin. By using a mixed methods approach to quantify the adoption of cover crops and to interview farmers and stakeholders, we hope to provide government and extension agencies with insight into the best practices for developing demonstration farm networks.
M.En., Environmental Science, Miami University
B.A., Geography, Miami University
Lara Mengak
Broadly, I am interested in the intersections between natural and human systems. I am an interdisciplinary PhD student with a focus on wildlife ecology and conservation social science. For my dissertation, I am looking at the social-ecological system of wolves, ranchers, and drought and how these factors affect the relationships between people and wildlife on Western rangelands. We hope to understand how humans make decisions regarding drought, wolves, and other rangeland conditions, and how large ungulates respond to drought and wolf activity.
Project: Wildlife and Humans in Shared Landscapes (WHISL)
M.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Tech
B.S. Ecology, University of Georgia
Masters Students
Alex Ramirez
I am interested in the human dimensions of regenerative agriculture. My current project focuses on farmers’ and landowners’ place attachment and how that shapes their decisions on adopting regenerative and conservation practices specifically agroforestry, into their farming operations.
Project: Agroforestry Adoption in Illinois
B.S. Environmental Studies