Research Projects
Global collaborations
U.S. Agricultural Communities
The project examines the social implications of soil carbon sequestration technologies and voluntary carbon markets in the United States, with particular attention to agricultural communities and farmers participating in climate-smart agriculture and soil carbon credit programs.
Canadian Arctic Indigenous Communities
The Arctic food-security research focuses on Canadian Arctic Indigenous communities, developed in partnership with Inuit Elders and community leaders.
Sri Lankan Smallholder Farmers
The agroecology research is situated in Sri Lanka and examines smallholder farmers, with a focus on how social capital—including trust, networks, and collective relationships—influences farmers’ decisions to adopt agroecological practices.
Research Lenses
Social-ecological resilience
How communities and ecosystems absorb, adapt to, and recover from environmental disruption
Indigenous & local knowledge
How place-based and Indigenous knowledge systems shape adaptive capacity and environmental decision-making
Food security
How climate and policy pressures affect food access, availability, and stability for marginalized groups
Adaptation & transformation
What genuine community-led pathways toward environmental and social change look like on the ground
Agroecology
How ecological farming practices sustain livelihoods and strengthen community resilience
Sustainable agriculture
How agricultural systems can be reshaped to support both ecological health and community wellbeing
Research Groups
I am part of several dynamic research groups that focus on innovative and impactful work. These labs bring together diverse teams to tackle critical challenges, offering opportunities to engage with cutting-edge research and collaborate on projects that drive real-world impact.
Wardropper Research Lab
An interdisciplinary environmental social science lab studying how people and organizations make decisions across working landscapes. Research focuses in multifunctional landscapes, including agricultural, and urban systems, with the goal of advancing more sustainable and inclusive landscape governance.
Indigenous Resilience and Innovations Lab
Lab’s main aim is to explore the social dimensions of human-nature systems, with a particular focus on climate change adaptation and the resilience of Indigenous communities and their local food systems. Using place-based participatory research methods, the lab seeks to understand and support how these communities experience and adjust to environmental changes, while also contributing to global-level assessments and policy development through international collaborations and interdisciplinary research.
IPON
The Indigenous Peoples Observatories Network is a network with Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, decision-makers, NGOs, and community members who have united to deepen their understanding and response to the threats facing Indigenous communities worldwide, with the goal of building resilience to navigate global change.
AI4COVID Lab
The lab focuses on developing a multidisciplinary, AI-driven framework for threat assessment of COVID-19 and future pandemics. By integrating medical, engineering, and social science expertise, the team not only advances AI-based solutions but also fosters efficient policy implications through effective collaboration with government, policymakers, and relevant stakeholders.