Research Team

Damon Hall

Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
Assistant Professor, Biomedical, Biological & Chemical Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
Affiliated Faculty, Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
Director, The Center for Watershed Management and Water Quality
Coordinator, Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability 

My research examines the interactions between social and ecological systems where science, policy, and culture meet. My research is audience-focused addressing questions of how to make usable knowledge for sustainable transitions. My research is transdisciplinary in that it engages stakeholders, managers, and scientists to design transformational solutions that make sense to how people—whose behavior is the target of policy—commonly experience their world. 

I completed a PhD in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences as a Boone & Crockett PhD Fellow in Conservation Policy at Texas A&M University. My dissertation research was sponsored by the US Army Corps of Engineers and involved in-depth social field research to understand riverfront landowners’ perceptions of federal, state, and local riparian management on the Yellowstone River in Montana. I hold a MA in Communication and a BS in Agriculture concentrating on Forestry and Natural Resources both from Purdue University. I was a National Science Foundation-supported Sustainability Science Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Maine's Sustainability Solutions Initiative directed by David Hart and chaired by Robert W. Kates. Following the Postdoc, I was Assistant Professor at Saint Louis University in the Center for Sustainability and Biology Department. I joined the University of Missouri as a part of the "Pillars of Pursuit" cluster hire under Sustainability inFEWSed (Food, Energy, Water, Smart Cities) in 2018.

Teaching:
Graduate Degree Emphasis Areas: Human Dimensions of Natural Resources; Water Resources; Parks, Recreation, & Tourism 
Undergraduate Degree Emphasis Areas: Environmental Sciences; Natural Resource Science & Management 
Certificate Coordinator for the Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability 

Links:
Faculty Page
GoogleScholar
ResearchGate
Loop
​OrchidID

Nicole Amezcua Morfin

Graduate Research Assistant
Human Dimensions of Natural Resources M.S.
George Washington Graduate Carver Fellow
Ronald E. McNair Graduate Fellow
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

 Through the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, I am excited to be conducting research in water resource sustainability. Environmental sustainability, public policy, and water quality are a passion of mine. My career goals include working with individuals and organizations to help transition them towards sustainability. I aim to find ways to raise awareness of the importance of social interactions with our natural systems to ensure longevity of human and ecological resources. 
Angela Catalano 
Graduate Research Assistant
Water Resources M.S.
​University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

I'm an MS student in the Water Resources program, supporting Dr. Hall in the Sustainability Science Lab and in the classroom. My research focuses on flooding and watershed management within repetitive-loss communities by examining issues holistically: my goal is to better understand increased flooding events, including the technical, cultural, policy, and ecological elements involved, in order to work with and support affected communities along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. My work is motivated by my experience of the tangible, cumulative effects of frequent floods in my previous home of New Orleans. In my circuitous route to Mizzou, I earned a B.A. and M.A. in Cinema, Media, & Digital Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, taught as a full-time instructor at the University of New Orleans, and worked as a curator and projectionist for numerous film festivals, including Columbia's own True/False Film Fest

Muhammad Umer Safaraz 

U.S. Fulbright Fellow, Afghanistan 
Research Assistant 
Water Resources M.S. (Fall 2021)
Transboundary water conflict and policy research. 

David Reece 
​Graduate Research Assistant
Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Ph.D.
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

After earning my MA in Geography at Mizzou in 2018 and working in both the public and private sectors, I am currently both a GIS Specialist in CAFNR and a PhD student in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources program. My GIS work supports agricultural research, and my PhD studies use this as a foundation to critically examine human-environment interactions. My focus is on identifying systemic variables, such as social, economic, and political pressures, that might hinder sustainability and to continue pushing for system change by exposing them and exploring solutions. Specifically, I am identifying trends in land management and conservation practices to control erosion in agriculture and the attitudes of producers toward institutions, as well as potential variables that might affect these trends and attitudes.

Emma Heienickle

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​Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

I am a senior at the University of Missouri Columbia and originally from Saint Louis, Missouri. I am dual majoring in Environmental Sciences. I am passionate about developing new concepts to make our world more sustainable for years to come. I want to promote clean energy sources, eliminate single use plastics, and overall want to reduce our carbon footprint. Before coming to college, I volunteered at the Missouri Botanical Gardens and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. 

Lisette Perez

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Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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​​I am a senior from the South Side of Chicago, IL studying Natural Resources Science & Management with an emphasis in Human Dimensions in the School of Natural Resources. I enjoy learning about the environment and how it connects with policy and society. I hope to promote conversations of Environmental Justice and work in Environmental Policy field in Chicago and eventually in other countries.

Aidan David-Pennington

Undergraduate Research Assistant
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

I am a freshman from Kansas City, MO studying Environmental Sciences in the School of Natural Resources. I am examining municipal-level sustainable policy and the development of sustainable cities. I hope to spread awareness of sustainability policy, create resources for cities to draft their own laws, and develop new ways of thinking about sustainable development and conservation for urban environments. 

Brandon Adeshakin

​Visiting Undergraduate Scholar
National Science Foundation MoLSAMP Fellow 
Truman State University, Kirksville, MO, USA

I am a senior from Truman State University, originally from Columbia Missouri studying Biological Science and Environmental Studies. I enjoy exploring all aspects of ecology and connecting my field research on bumblebee ecology in Dr. Candi Galen’s lab with policy and law research via US State Wildlife Action Plans on federally listed endangered bee habitat management. I hope to promote conservation and sustainability through policy and field work both in the United States and internationally.

Edoardo Desiderio 

Visiting Doctoral Scholar
Agricultural, Environmental, Food Science Technology
​University of Bologna, Italy
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I’m a Ph.D. student in Agricultural, Environmental, Food Science Technology, curriculum International Cooperation. I completed a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Technologies and a master’s degree in Economics and Management, curriculum Food System Management. My current research as an agricultural economist aims at reducing the impacts of agri-food systems, trough the integration of economics and Life Cycle Thinking. In particular, the main areas of my studies evolve around the assessment of social impact of the aforementioned systems, declined on the economic aspect. along the food supply chain, replacing traditional food packaging with bioplastics based one, trough the integration of Social Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Costing and Life Cycle assessment. Other topics of research are related within the wide field of food waste inside the European framework Horizon2020.

PhD  Join the Lab: Seeking Graduate Research Assistants 

I have two openings for PhD Graduate Assistantships in Stakeholder Engagement in Decision Making in:
  • Water resources decision making engaging repetitive-loss flood communities on US rivers
  • Stakeholder engagement in life cycle assessment modeling of municipal waste systems in PA and MO
  • Flood storage policy innovations and payment for riverfront ecosystem services 

Start Date: January 2022 or Summer 2022
Research Assistantships include a full tuition wavier, monthly stipend, and health insurance. Research assistants work 20 hours per week. Students will have opportunities to design and conduct qualitative and quantitative research, write and present study results, and co-produce research and recommendations with the practitioners who will use the data. The Ph.D. in Natural Resources may be earned in either Water Resources or Human Dimensions of Natural Resources emphasis areas. 

Qualifications: 
  • Interest in social science and policy research to address environmental problems
  • Ability to conduct interviews with diverse stakeholders
  • Strong communication and writing skills
  • Work well independently and as part of a team
  • Degree(s) in either an environmental or social science field
 
Preferred:  
  • Degrees in both the environmental and social sciences
  • Demonstrated research experience (data collection, analysis, and writing)  
  • Experience with survey and/or interview research 
  • Experience working with community stakeholders, eNGOs, and government agencies
  • A high level of organization, initiative, and the ability talk with anyone
  • Passion for sustainability, policy, and interdisciplinary research 

To apply: Please email a (1) resume/CV (preferred), (2) a brief statement of your interest in the position, qualifications, as well as your research and career goals, and (3) any other relevant details to Damon M. Hall, halldam@missouri.edu Materials will be reviewed as they are received. 

The School of Natural Resources (SNR) at the University of Missouri is Missouri's and the Midwest's only school with a comprehensive natural resources program. SNR, a division of the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is one of the leading educational institutions in the nation emphasizing an integrated approach to natural resource management. SNR, housed in the Anheuser-Busch Natural Resource Building, is noted for small classes, hands-on student research opportunities, active student organizations, high-tech classrooms, personalized advising and strong professional orientation. Faculty research expertise includes Climate Science, Water Resources, Health and Environment, Soil Science, Wildlife Science, and Forestry/Agroforestry.
 
Columbia, Missouri is home to the University of Missouri, commonly known as Mizzou, the state’s flagship university. The University of Missouri is among the top 63 US research universities and a member of the American Association of Universities. Columbia has a reputation of progressive politics, protected journalism, and public art centering around University of Missouri, Columbia College, and Stephens College. Columbia has seven colleges in the area and ranks among the top college towns in the country. Of the city’s 124,500 residents, 30% are enrolled in college or graduate school. Mizzou campus blends into the downtown area, making it a highly walkable city. Columbia MO consistently ranks among the Best College Towns in the US. 
Graduates 
Kathryn Kidd, MS 2021
Maddie Emerson, MS 2020
Andrea Burr, PhD 2018
Leah Kunkel, MS 2018
Molly Laycob, MS 2018
​Spencer Ruggles, MS 2018
Rebecca Steiner, MS 2018
Alissa Benchimol, MS 2017
John Hamill, MS 2017
​Nicholas McCreary, MS 2017
Nicole Schaeg, MS 2017
Bram Boettge, MS 2015
Sarah Burke, MS 2015
Amelia Fisher, MS 2015
Amy Hargis, MS 2014
Jen Myerscough, MS 2014

Collaborators

Gerardo R. Camilo, Saint Louis University, Department of Biology 
Darren Ficklin, Indiana University, Department of Geography
Susan J. Gilbertz, Montana State University-Billings, Director of the Environmental Studies Program
​Chris Lowry, University at Buffalo, Department of Geology, Physical Hydrogeology Lab
Jason Knouft, Saint Louis University, Department of Biology 
Eli D. Lazarus, University of Southampton, Geography & Environment Unit, Environmental Dynamics Lab 
Rebecca K. Tonietto, Department of Biology, University of Michigan-Flint
Michael Quartuch, Cornell University, Human Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources
Matthew Anderson, Eastern Washington University, Geography
Christine Costello, Penn State University, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Gail Langellotto, Oregon State University, Department of Horticulture
Jamie McEvoy, Montana State University, Department of Earth Sciences
Carla Atkinson, University of Alabama, Department of Biological Sciences
Lucas C. Ward, Rocky Mountain College, Director of the Environmental Management and Policy Program
Krista Capps, University of Georgia, Odum School of Ecology, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory