About
Preceptor = Assistant Instructor
Precept = Discussion Sections
I am a 4th-year PhD candidate at the Princeton School of Public & International Affairs, in the Science, Technology, & Environmental Policy program. My research on climate adaptation policy interweaves topics in multi-level governance, environmental justice, urban planning, and behavioral science. My dissertation projects include: survey work on justice preferences in the design of climate adaptation flood policies in several cities globally, tracing of funding mechanisms for state-run flood buyout programs in the U.S., analysis of which communities in the U.S. are applying to/receiving federal disaster resilience grants, and a case study of a regional planning project led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Through these projects and others, I am actively involved in community-based and co-produced work, including via the regional Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub (MACH) and NYC Resilient Coastal Communities Project. I am also the lead instructor for a co-taught Environmental Justice course with the NJ Prison Teaching Initiative, and previously worked as a Graduate Fellow at the NYC Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice. At Princeton, I am a member of the Center for Policy Research on Energy & the Environment, the Behavioral Science for Policy Lab, and the SPIA in NJ initiative. In 2023, I also participated in the prestigious Young Scientists Summer Program for PhD students at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna.
I am also interested in environmentally-just waste management and an end to the uneven siting of hazardous waste facilities – and have been involved in anti-incineration campaigns, local composting program development, and zero waste education. Additionally, I am fascinated by the dynamics of international climate negotiations, and have taught and led university observer delegations to the annual UNFCCC COP.
Before joining the Princeton community, I served for 5 years as the first Sustainability Program Manager at Swarthmore College, PA, helping to launch the Office of Sustainability and to facilitate environmental and climate institutional decision-making while reporting to C-suite administrators. I spearheaded myriad initiatives related to zero waste and environmental justice, decarbonization of campus energy systems, climate science communication, engagement with international climate negotiations, and local community partnerships. This was a new, growing office – and I was, at first, its sole staff member. My work therefore entailed substantial budget management, institutional strategic planning, staff hiring & oversight, large-scale project implementation, committee leadership, event planning & public speaking, and curriculum development.
Practitioner Experience
Photos by Larry Kesterson, Swarthmore College
I hold an MSc in Sustainable Urban Development from the University of Oxford and a BA in Psychology from Swarthmore College. My hobbies include practicing languages (Spanish & Korean), trying new food, kayaking & being outdoors, and reading/watching sci-fi.