I am interested in indigenous environmental politics, the political economy of the mining and oil industries, and environmental history in the Americas.  I conduct research on these issues in Ecuador and Guyana, working closely with local communities and organizations.  These field studies also involve several partnerships with Bay Area non-profit organizations. My current work examines the collision of extractive projects in South America, forest conservation, indigenous land and protected areas, and climate change. 

I teach interdisciplinary courses on International Development and Resource Justice (LS 401), forest ecology and conservation "Future of the Forests" (LS 430), and the introdution, junior, and senior seminar courses for Liberal Studies. Occasionally in the summers, I also lead short-term study abroad versions of LS 430 involving three weeks of field study in the lowland and cloud forests of Ecuador.

I hold a Ph.D and MS  in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in Environmental Analysis and Policy, and a BA in Philosophy from Boston University.