The Social Ecological Systems Research Group is a multi-lab interdisciplinary team dedicated to understanding the dynamic interactions between human societies and natural ecosystems. The team consists of Drs. Haemmerli, Whitman, and Himes’s lab groups who meet regularly with the aim of advancing integration ecological science, social science, and advanced modeling to explore how environmental change, management decisions, policy and human behavior shape the environment. By bridging science and practice, we aim to support sustainable resource management and enhance the resilience of both ecosystems and communities.
Principal Investigators
Graduate Students
Kelechi Ibeh (PhD Student)
Research Interest: Forest Ecology & Climate Adaptation; Forest Carbon & Landscape Modeling; LANDIS-II; Ecosystem Services
Sam Kaiser (PhD Student)
Research Interest: Nature Value Frames; Forest Stewardship; Sustainability Organizations; Environmental Education
Ruben Solorza (MS Student)
Research Interest: Forest Ecology & Management; Social Ecology; Phenology; Silviculture
Olivia De Stefano (PhD Student)
Research Interest: Water governance and policy; Dam removal politics; Collaborative natural resource management; Environmental policy
Tanvir Ahmed (PhD Student)
Research Interest: Water distribution and conservation
Hermosa Otero (Ms Student)
Research Interest: Watershed management, water quality and governance, culturally significant plants, and tribal environmental policy.
