I conduct research and teach in the fields of geographical information science and land change science. More specifically I couple representations of natural and human systems, using agent-based approaches, to estimate the impacts of land change and land-use policies on ecosystem function, human well-being, and sustainable livelihoods. By using agent-based approaches to integrate GIS, ecological, and human decision-making models (with a range of different types of data) we can evaluate how socio-economic contexts and policy scenarios change land use, ecological function, and human well-being.
I find land-use research extremely interesting because of the ties it has to global climate change, not solely because land-use and land-cover change represents 30% of historical anthropogenic efflux of carbon to the atmosphere, but because what drives land-use and land-cover change are local complexities and feedbacks in human behavior that, when aggregated, can have global consequences (e.g. climate change). In the past I have worked and published as a member of the following project teams: NSF Biocomplexity in the Environment (LUCITA SES00835, SLUCE BCS-0119804), Human and Social Dynamics (PHESI BCS-0527318) and CNHS (SLUCEII CNH-0813799) as well as EU FP 6 PLUREL (FP6-36921) and EcoChange (FP6-036866).
If you're interested in working together to obtain a Master's or Ph.D. from the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo then send an email stating why you are interested in working together and relevant background information (if any). Use the email address as listed on the faculty website or in the header of my resume / curriculum vitae.
