I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Utah. We study how drought and climate change affect forest ecosystems, including tree physiology, species interactions, carbon cycling, and biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks. This research spans a broad array of spatial scales from cells to ecosystems and seeks to gain a better mechanistic understanding of how climate change will affect forests and societies around the world.

The main undergraduate courses I teach include:

• Global Environmental Issues (Biology 3460)

Education

• D. - Biology: Ecology, Stanford University (2013)
• A. – Human Biology: Ecology and Environmental Science, Stanford University (2008)

I am Professor and Chair in the Geography Department at the University of Utah. My research focuses on reconstructions of past environments with particular interest in projects with management applications. These projects include reconstructions of fire and vegetation regimes from sedimentary deposits, studying past bark beetle outbreaks in the mountain west, studies of southwestern desert wetlands (ciénegas), and human paleoecology.  My passion is educating students about the science of climate change.

The main undergraduate courses I teach include:

• Global Climate Change
• Pyrogeography

Education

• D. - Physical Geography: Paleoecology, University of Oregon (2002)
• S.- Quaternary Studies: Paleoecology, Northern Arizona University (1997)
• S. - Environmental Science: Geology, Northern Arizona University (1993-cum laude)

Juliet Carlisle is an Associate Professor in the Department of political science. Her research substantively deals with political behavior and public opinion with an emphasis on environmental politics and policy especially energy policy. In particular, Dr. Carlisle has dedicated a great deal of her time to research focused on public opinion and has investigated issues surrounding environmental concern including what people know about the environment, from where that knowledge originates and how that knowledge influences their opinions and their behavior with regard to the environment, offshore oil drilling and large-scale solar development. Her co-authored book, The Politics of Energy Crises (2017), published by Oxford University Press applies the theories of agenda setting and punctuated equilibrium to energy crises and explores energy policy during energy crises with specific attention on the role of public opinion, business interests and environmental activists.

The main undergraduate courses I teach include:

• POLS 1100: U.S. National Government
• POLS 5322: Environmental and Sustainability Politics

Education:

• PhD: University of California, Santa Barbara
• BA: University of Washington

I am Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Director of Environmental and Sustainability Studies at the University of Utah. I also teach in the Environmental Humanities Graduate Program. My research focuses on the political economy of global environmental change and the philosophy, history, and sociology of science.

The main undergraduate courses I teach include:

• Environmental Sociology
• Global Challenges to Sustainability

Education

• D. - Sociology, University of Oregon (2006)
• A.- Sociology, Colorado State University (1998)
• S. - Sociology, Black Hills State University (1994)

I am an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Archaeological Center at the University of Utah. My work explores the dynamic interactions between humans and their local environments. Recent projects couple behavioral and ecological data to examine present and past variation in resource choice, land use patterns, and anthropogenic disturbance.

The main undergraduate courses I teach include:

• World Prehistory: An Introduction
• Spatial Analysis in Anthropology

Education: 

• B.S., Social Sciences, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, 2005
• M.A., Anthropology, Stanford University, 2009        
• PhD., Anthropology, Stanford University, 2012

I am a faculty person in the Department of Geography and the Environmental and Sustainability Studies Program at the University of Utah. My research focuses on environmental justice, health disparities, and social vulnerability to hazards/disasters. My projects apply multiple methods (e.g., spatial analysis, statistics, survey research, as well as qualitative) to examine human dimensions of flooding, wildfire, air pollution, climate change, and other environmental phenomena. I am interested in working with students and faculty on research projects that develop new insights. Please contact me if you are interested in exploring possibilities!

The main undergraduate courses I teach include:

• TBD

Education

• D. – Geography, Arizona State University (2005)
• A. – Geography, California State University, Chico (2000)
• B.A. – Geography, California State University, Chico (1998)

I am Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of Utah and Direct Storm Peak Laboratory in Steamboat Springs, Colorado operated by the Desert Research Institute. My research focuses on using high quality measurements of trace gases, aerosol physical and chemical properties, and cloud microphysics to understand connections between the biosphere, atmosphere, and climate, along with the impact of anthropogenic emissions on these connections.

The main undergraduate courses I teach include:

• Atmospheric Thermodynamics
• Atmospheric Radiation
• Cloud Physics
• Atmospheric Chemistry

Education:

• Ph.D. – Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder (2003)
• M.S.- Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder (2001)
• B.A. -Physics, Truman State University (1999)

I am Professor and Chair in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Utah. Generally, my research concentrates on the study of genes and genetic diversity in humans and nonhuman primates and also some endangered mammals.  One of the genetic systems that I am particularly interested in is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a group of genes that are critical in immune function.  My studies of MHC genes in primates have allowed me to evaluate the relationship between habitat, MHC genetic diversity and disease and to examine the consequences of habitat fragmentation in endangered species.  The overarching goal of my research is to use genetic data to evaluate environmental pressures and assess population history and ecosystem health in primates and other mammals.  I  am especially enthusiastic about training student to conduct laboratory research and science more generally.

The main undergraduate courses I teach include:

• Human Origins: Evolution & Diversity
• Sex & Gender: An Anthropological Perspective

Education

• D. - Biological Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles (1994)
• A.- Anthropology: Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles (1988)
• A. – Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles (1984)

I am Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Utah. I am also the Director of the Tanner Center for Human Rights. My research focuses on economic history and labor economics, and in particular I study issues of inequality and discrimination in US economic history, as well as the interaction of the economy and demographic phenomena like migration and immigration, fertility, and health.

The main undergraduate courses I teach include:

• Industrialization and Economic Development: The American Case
• US Economic History
• Discrimination in the Labor Market

Education

• D. – Economics, University of Michigan (1994)
• A.- Economics, University of Michigan (1988)
• B.S. – Economics, University of Dayton (1986)

I am Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Psychology Department at the University of Utah. My research focuses on how people tell stories about their lives, how those stories are shaped by listeners, and how those stories are related to emotional, social, and self development. While much of my work does not concern issues of climate change and society, more recently I have been fortunate to work with dynamite students on applications of psychology to sustainability and climate change. I am passionate about teaching research methods – because those are the skills that let students ask, and answer, their own unique questions. I am always open to talking about student projects related to society, water, and climate – just send me an email.

Current Projects Related to SWC

Fall 2017 UROP- and Honors Thesis project (Hannah Samowitz): Effects of Air Quality and Place Attachment on Environmental Activism.

The main undergraduate courses I teach include:

• Honors General Psychology
• Research Methods in Psychology
• Adult Development and Aging

Education

• D. – Psychology, Stanford University (1997)
• S. – Psychology and English Literature, Case Western Reserve University (1992)