Sustainability Leadership Fellow Cohort: 2026-2027

Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology

Research Summary: Adaptive and contextualized landscape management is essential for sustainable grazing practices, but the tools we have for informing management are limited. My research helps ranchers and land managers make better decisions by improving our understanding of how these landscapes respond to grazing effects and climate change. I combine satellite imagery, field measurements, and modeling to build a holistic picture of rangeland health. Specifically, I identify and quantify the legacy effects of livestock grazing on soils and plant communities, and I develop indicators that managers can use to determine the right timing and intensity of grazing under increasingly variable conditions.

Advisor: M. Francesca Cotrufo