We are part of the Human Dimensions Lab at Oregon State University's Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences Department. Please see the Human Dimensions site to meet our colleagues.
Principal Investigator (PI)
Dr. Kelly Biedenweg has a Ph.D. in the human dimensions of natural resource management. She currently works in the Puget Sound, Oregon and Chile looking at the link between ecosystem services and human values and wellbeing. Prior, she spent about ten years in Latin America researching community forest management in the Bolivian Amazon and environmental leadership development in Honduras. Dr. Biedenweg has a B.S. in marine ecology and an M.S. in conservation biology. In her spare time, Dr. Biedenweg likes to ride long distances on her road bike and make functional pottery while envying those with the patience for sculpting.
Contact: kelly.biedenweg "at" oregonstate "dot" edu
Contact: kelly.biedenweg "at" oregonstate "dot" edu
Research Coordinator
Dr. Kyle Clifton is the Social Science Research Coordinator with the Puget Sound Partnership of Washington State and a Human Dimensions Lab member. She has a Ph.D. in the human dimensions of natural resource management, a M.A. in conservation biology, and a B.S. in biology. Previously, she worked in conservation social science research and practice in the intermountain west and southeastern United States and in northeastern South Africa. As Research Coordinator with the Puget Sound Partnership, she manages social science integration across state, county, city, and federal partners in Puget Sound restoration planning, implementation, and monitoring. Kyle is also an instructor for FW560 Psychology of Environmental Decisions. When not at a desk, she loves illustrating greeting cards and playing outdoors with her Labrador.
Instructor
Vaughn Robison (MS and FWCS Certificate 2022) completed his Masters in Environmental Arts and Humanities and certificate in FWCS by examining how fishing communities use their values to communicate the social and economic impacts they experience from the Oregon Marine Reserves. He is a student alumnus of the Human Dimensions lab and is now a Human Dimensions Instructor for FWCS, focused entirely on our Ecampus courses: FW289: Communication Skills for FW Professionals; FW340: Multicultural Perspectives in NRM; and FW439: Human Dimensions of Fisheries and Wildlife (an intensive writing course). He is based on the Oregon Coast where he is a fifth-generation resident. His work as a communication researcher and practitioner has been used by state fish and wildlife agencies, non-profits, multi-national corporations, advertising agencies, and local news media. He enjoys navigating the social and ecological intersections of coastal lands and waters and connecting with the communities they support in his free time. He has a horse and dog who often join him.
Graduate Students
Krista Harrington (PhD student) is an interdisciplinary-trained geographer, bringing a political ecology lens to her academic interests in water resource governance, collaborative governance, climate resilience, and fisheries. Her approach to research is largely inductive, focusing on what we can learn from place-based contexts and persons’ lived experiences. She has worked under tribal entities, federal agencies, and at university laboratories but finds collaborative roles the most fulfilling. Krista earned her MS in Geography at Portland State University (PSU) under Dr. Alida Cantor and earned her BS at Colorado State University in the department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. Krista’s master’s work at PSU focused on politics and alliances surrounding the Snake River dam removal proposal by US Congressman Simpson, which uncovered the ongoing conflicts as complex socio-ecological tradeoffs. For her PhD she will be looking at the intersections of climate change and human wellbeing in the Puget Sound and beyond. Krista will work with Puget Sound partners to translate her research findings into policy decisions and planning support. In her spare time, you can catch Krista backpacking, weightlifting, kayaking, at the beach with a book, or surrounded by dogs. Krista's website can be found here.
Emilia Astorga (PhD student) is a social anthropologist from Chilean Patagonia. She has a master´s degree in systemic analysis applied to society and is started a PHD in wildlife science in spring 2025. She is very interested in developing applied research and understanding different socio – ecological problems from a local perspective and a transdisciplinary point of view. She is mother of two boys and deeply enjoys spending time in the wild, camping, hiking and navigating with her family.
Katie Joles (MS student) is a master’s student researching community values and fears surrounding floodplain restoration projects in the Puget Sound region of Washington under Dr. Kelly Biedenweg and Dr. Kyle Clifton. Katie recently earned her B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University. During her time at MSU, she served as the President of the Outdoors Club, where she learned just as much about people as she did about camping in three feet of snow. Katie's passion for marine ecology began while working as a Registered Maine Sea Kayaking Guide in Acadia National Park. This interest led her to the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center, where she worked on an oyster farm and was introduced to social science research. She quickly became fascinated by the intersection of people and conservation, and is excited to bring these experiences to OSU and the West Coast. Outside of school, you can find Katie on a run, at the beach looking for sea glass, or thrifting.
Adedamola Sanuade (MS student) is a Master’s student with Dr. Kelly Biedenweg and Dr. Kyle Clifton, conducting research on private landowners incentive programs for salmon habitat preservation in Washington State. Her research will be contributing to addressing the factors that influence landowner support for improving and expanding salmon habitat on private lands in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management from Osun State University, Nigeria. Afterward, she worked as a research assistant with Dr. Bibitayo Owolabi, carrying out projects that explored the intersections between people and biodiversity conservation. Her passion for the human dimensions of conservation began during her internships at Kainji Lake and Cross River National Parks, where she witnessed firsthand how integrating ecological research with social science approaches can improve conservation outcomes. Adedamola’s long-term goal is contribute to development of approaches that protect biodiversity while also respecting human needs, values, and livelihoods. Outside of academics, she enjoys meeting new people, building friendships, spending time in nature, and cooking.
Alumni
AJ Mallozzi (PhD 2026) completed her PhD on culturally appropriate mentorship of Native American high school STEAM. She is now the Natural Resources Instructor at Oregon Coast Community College.
Brian Erickson (PhD 2023, Postdoc 2023-2025) completed his PhD on distinguishing between trust and distrust in protected area management. He is currently a Smith Conservation Postdoctoral Fellow.
Devon Barone (MNR 2023) completed her MNR capstone developing indicators of human well-being for two marine protected areas in the Magallanes Region of southern Chile.
Isabel Justiniano (MS 2023) completed a MS thesis on Latinx environmental beliefs and recreation activities in the Willamette Valley. She is currently Visitor Center Manager for the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.
Karin Swarbrick (Professional Science Masters student, 2022) develops communications products to enhance understanding of complex subjects and fosters appreciation for wildlife and the natural environment.
Brian G. Katz (Research Assistant, 2020-2022) is a web cartographer and human geographer who studies social vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.
David Trimbach, Ph.D. (Postdoc and Research Associate, 2017-2022) is a community based researcher with expertise in human geography and sense of place. He is now Conservation Social Scientist at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Allison Kurtz (Undergraduate Honors Student 2021) completed a policy analysis of the actions proposed by the Southern Resident Orca Taskforce for her undergraduate thesis. She plans on applying to grad school sometime next year
Eric Wade, Ph.D. (MS 2018, PhD 2021) completed his PhD on decision making in Jamaican small-scale fisheries. He is now an Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University.
Brittany King, Ph.D. (PhD 2021) completed her PhD on the social identities of underrepresented populations in the marine, aquatic and fisheries sciences. She is now an Environmental Specialist for NOAA.
Whitney Fleming, Ph.D. (PhD 2021) completed her PhD on the relationships among perceived environmental governance and ecosystem services. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Queens University.
Alexa Ramos-Cummings (Masters of Natural Resource 2021) completed a capstone on human wellbeing (HWB) integration into environmental decision making within local watershed groups. She currently works for Snohomish County.
Hailey Kehoe Thommen (Honors Undergrad 2019 and Research Assistant) completed an undergraduate thesis and Research Assistantship using sentiment and emotion analysis around orca conservation and the role Native Americans in public survey responses. She continues working as a data analyst.
Jackie Delie (MS 2020) measured the concept of tolerance for wildlife and psychological predictors of tolerance, with specific attention to tolerance of black bears in Oregon.
Kerrick Robinson (MS 2018) focused his thesis on determining the factors that influence stakeholder preferences for salmon habitat management in the Quinault Indian Nation. Kerrick worked as a Human Dimensions scientist in North Carolina before moving on to a PhD program in Human Dimensions.
Kayla Cranston, Ph.D. (Postdoc 2016-2017) studies and creates tools to evaluate motivation for long-term engagement in environmental projects from a psychological perspective.