Profile
About
PhD Student
Department: Biological Sciences
Advisor: Vicken Hillis
Email: laurenhunt@u.boisestate.edu
Research Areas
- Agroecology
- Climate change adaptation
- Evidence-based decision-making
- Co-production of knowledge
Research Summary
I investigate how social systems shift in the context of climate change and how individuals and the environment intersect. Agriculture is the primary lens through which I view this intersection, but the current economic, political, and cultural climate also structures my work. I focus on modeling social network structures and overlaying those dynamics with spatial-temporal indicators of climate change to detect social-ecological interactions. Understanding how risk influences individual decision-making and, in turn, how resilience is affected by those decisions will inform these analyses.
Collaboration
I am interested in collaborating with a diversity of ranching and farming stakeholders as well as conservation and government organizations to tackle complex socio-environmental challenges. Currently, I am co-developing management techniques with ranchers and researchers to improve drought resilience on ranchlands in the High Divide region of the West.
Community Partners
- Heart of the Rockies Initiative
- Idaho Rangeland Conservation Partnership
- The High Divide Collaborative