Research Overview
The scholarship of the Behavioral Insights group is broadly influenced by ideas from behavioral economics, social psychology, anthropology, and sociology. We explore these theories in marine and coastal systems. In addition to exploring the drivers and feedbacks of individual and collective decisions, I am also interested in how stakeholders are adapting to socio-ecological change. At the same time, our research also aims to understand the influence of formal and informal institutions on how stakeholders navigate coastal and marine systems. The scholarship and outreach of our research group are committed to producing actionable science that not only contributes to furthering our understanding of theoretical ideas but that supports the development of my communities.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
- Livelihoods & adaptation to change
- Fisheries governance
- Property rights & the State
- Conservation psychology
- Environmental decision making
- Conservation as development
- Marine conservation
- Development in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Colonialism
- Resource use, development, and conservation
- Science - policy - practice interface
- Social science research methods
Current & Past Research Projects
1.Using climate justice approach to explore the drivers of social license and social legitimacy towards the introduction of carbon dioxide removal technologies in North Carolina (2024 - present)
2. Do small-scale fisheries provide food security to coastal communities in Belize? (2023 - present)
3. Pioneer Array Test Article Design and Development (2023 - present)
4. Towards a model for multi-sectoral engagement: Examining social construction and knowledge level of marine renewable development in North Carolina (2022- present)
5. Linking Cognitive Biases and Fishing Captains' Perception of Occupation Risks and Safety-at-Sea Approaches in North Carolina (2022 - 2024)
6. A study of marine fisheries and coastal habitats regulated by North Carolina: A review of Stakeholder Engagement and Fisheries Management Plan (2022-present)
Pre-ECU
1. Decision-making under risk and uncertainty in small-scale fisheries in Jamaica (2018- 2021)
2. Power of the pen: constructing social-ecological narratives of coral reefs in news media and links to policy action (2018-2020)
3. Assessing the Readiness of WECAFC Member States’ Readiness to Implement the Regional Plan of Action to Deter and Eliminate IUU Fishing (2020)
4. Assessing shared knowledge across stakeholders in response to the implementation of Belize’s Managed Access Program (2016-2018)
5. Measuring organizational sense of place for marine conservation in Bocas del Toro, Panama (2018)