Justin is a first-year Ph.D. student in Sociology. His research focuses on the intersection of political economy and climate change as well as policy options to address climate change.

Justin attended Harvard College, where he majored in Social Studies. During college, Justin studied the role of a severe drought, connected to climate change, had in spurring the Syrian Civil War. It was through this research that Justin became interested in the social science of climate change.

Justin has also worked as a Research Assistant at the Harvard University Center for the Environment. While there, he examined economic policy options to reduce carbon emissions. He then when on to serve as an AmeriCorps CivicSpark Fellow in the City of Piedmont, California, where he worked on municipal ordinances to lower emissions and city events to provide climate change education.

While at the University of Oregon, Justin plans to primarily research two topics. More specifically, he is interested in: How the physical effects of climate change interact with existing political and economic systems to impact people, and the impact of different policy options in drastically reducing carbon emissions and preparing for the effects of climate change. Justin hopes his research can both contribute to academic discourse and inform policymakers trying to address climate change.

Justin feels that the University of Oregon Sociology’s substantive strengths in environmental Sociology, political economy, and their intersection make the department a great fit for his research interests. Consequently, he is grateful for the chance to attend the University of Oregon and is deeply honored to have been selected as a Raymund Fellow.