I am Full Professor in, and as of July 2024 also Director of, the School for Resource and Environmental Studies (SRES) at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. In 2024 I was elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. In my ‘lab‘, I work with some of our thesis-based Master of Environmental Studies and our internship-based Master of Resource and Environmental Management students, as well as postdocs and IDPhD students and the occasional Honours student at Dalhousie . I am cross-appointed in Dalhousie’s College of Sustainability and its Environmental Science Program, and have an adjunct appointment at Saint Mary’s University (Geography) . I teach about methods such as qualitative data analysis and research design and bring a social science perspective to resource management topics. My Dalhousie page provides contact details, and – as this page focuses just on research I lead – my full publication history can be viewed at ResearchGate or Google Scholar.
I work on public perceptions of landscape change in anthropogenic systems like farms, energy, engineered coasts and cities, and how those perceptions can limit sustainability transitions of various kinds. I am an environmental and natural resource social scientist, but use spatial and visual methods: spatial analysis, landscape visualization, social network analysis, and/or interviews and focus groups undertaken in situ, or using photos or maps as prompts for conversation. I combine qualitative and quantitative methods in most of my work, and enjoy collaborating across disciplines in problem-based studies, linking work through common places, case studies and stakeholder engagement processes.
If you think we have common interests, please get in touch. If you are looking at papers I’ve co-authored and are wondering what the position of my name in the authorship list reflects about my general engagement in the material, read this note on authorship. If you’re interested in working with me as a student, read this before you send your email.
