I am an Assistant Professor of Political Economy and Sustainability at The University of Texas at Dallas.
My research focuses on the causes and consequences of land-use change, deforestation, and conflict. I previously held postdoctoral positions at the University of Göttingen and the University of Texas at Austin.
My work sits at the intersection of environmental economics and political economy. I study how local political incentives shape deforestation and agricultural expansion in Brazil and Indonesia, how conservation policies — including protected areas, payments for ecosystem services, and public disclosure — affect land use, and how environmental change feeds back into conflict and violence. I combine remotely sensed data with market and political shocks for causal identification.
Together with Erin Litzow, I co-direct the PRISE Lab (Policy Research in Sustainability and Economics), a new research initiative at UT Dallas bringing together students working at the intersection of environmental sustainability, energy, and economic inequality.