I leverage my broad training in nature-society studies, environmental science & policy, and development studies to engage with questions on how and why people affect and are affected by land-use changes in forest & tree systems in a changing climate context. I am interested in examining the drivers and implications of environmental degradation and climate change for forest-dependent people and for broader socio-ecological sustainability. I address specifically the socio-institutional dimensions of these issues, including the social arrangements, cultural contexts, and cross-scale (and tele-coupled) institutional challenges affecting the sustainable management of forest & tree systems. I approach my problem-solving oriented research from an interdisciplinary and geospatial perspectives that integrate both social and natural sciences analytical frameworks. For that, I use mixed methods – sourcing from qualitative, quantitative, and spatial methods and tools to build a holistic understanding of specific environmental problems and potential solutions at particular or across different geographical scales.

I center the concerns for socioecological sustainability on the quest to balance biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation goals with natural resource-based livelihoods, food security, and socio-economic development needs. While typically focused on sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), my research contributes theoretical knowledge to inform specific dimensions of socioecological governance and sustainability. Importantly, my research provides an opportunity to learn from other diversified and nuanced realities of human-environment relationships against related discussions within the international fabric.