INTRO

I am an Associate Professor (Universitetslektor & docent) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Umeå, Sweden. I work on tropical forest management and conservation, particularly in the context of climate change mitigation and sustainable development.

I am originally from the US (Indiana). I’ve lived and worked all over the world (Peru, Mexico, UK, Spain, Malaysia, Kenya, and Mozambique) and love to look at issues from different perspectives and spatial and time scales. Now I am in Sweden and am a great appreciator of their forward thinking, efficient use of natural resources, amazing waste management–energy production systems, and deep values for life and equality.

Putting all this together, my mission is to harness the power and support of global goals and agendas—i.e., restore 350 million hectares, transition to a bio-economy, limit climate change to 1.5ºC, and meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030—to find solutions that work from the bottom up.

Read more about my current PROJECTS. 

See publications on Google Scholar.

MISSION

To develop a new, inclusive, and integrated forest sector in the tropical world to drive large-scale forest restoration, mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services, and supply a bio-based economy. We further aim to reduce poverty, inequality, and exploitation and instead promote sustainable urban and rural development through enhancing local control of resources, promoting entrepreneurship, and creating viable and transparent business practices that scale organically.

TEAM VISION

We will lead the research, development, and innovation to bring The Wood Solution to life and quantify its impact and potential. To do so, we need a diverse team of dedicated and talented do-gooders who are on this mission together. I firmly believe that there are so many smart and wonderful people out there that are just yearning to apply their efforts to a worthy cause. My job is to bring these people together, help them find their role and set personal goals, and mentor them to do their very best work. Ultimately, I want my students and postdocs to make themselves leaders in their own fields and propagate this solution in the world.

VALUES

These are my personal values (ie, what I value) in people I work with:

1. Mission-driven. You have to have your own intrinsic desire to make the world a better place. I will work with and help you from there…
2. Willing to do whatever it takes. By this, I mean that you will keep going and figure things out—even when it’s hard—instead of giving up or making excuses (to me or yourself). This does not mean working yourself to death or trampling others to get what you want in the short term. Rather, it’s quite the opposite—it could mean putting in the time and effort up-front to manage your schedule and mind so that you don’t burn out or build authentic, trusting, and mutually-respectful relationships with those you work with.
3. You have to be willing to have conversations—let me and others know what you’re thinking, where you need help, what’s bothering you, what your true interests are, etc. Likewise, I value honesty and transparency. Sometimes this means having difficult conversations to address an underlying problem or admitting a mistake. This means that we will inevitably have to be uncomfortable, but we will do it anyway:-)
4. Fun to work with!
5. Committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is a lifelong processes and commitment. I believe that we are all indoctrinated in sexist, racist, and colonialist world views and that this is something we need to acknowledge, discuss, and actively work against, both internally and externally.

Read more about what it's like to work with me.