I didn’t always plan to be an anthropologist. However, during an undergrad anthropology course I realized that the field of anthropology would provide an excellent arena to pursue my innate curiosity about the diversity of people and their interactions with each other and their environments. My goal as an anthropologist is to pursue research that is intellectually challenging and that enhances our abilities to resolve complex social and environmental issues. My intellectual interests span scales that include individual households, communities, watersheds, regions, and nations. I also am an ardent believer in an interdisciplinary approach to framing and exploring research questions.
In my professional life I have worked extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a particular focus in Northeast Brazil and the Brazilian Amazon. I have also been involved with work in Africa including the countries of Mozambique, Angola, and The Comoros. I use a range of participatory methodologies as well as quantitative tools in my research, which include GIS and remote sensing. I have current research projects focused on water security, disaster risk, socioenvironmental system dynamics, and participatory planning in Brazil, Uruguay, and the U.S.
Prospective graduate students:
I welcome mentoring new students that are interested in the interactions between humans and environmental change. Please visit my HECLab website (see sidebar) to see what current students are working on. While we address a range of topics in the lab, all students have a clear research vision, are self-motivated, and have a real desire to contribute to making the world a better place. If you are interested in joining the lab, please email me a current CV and a brief description (up to 500 words) of your research interests.
Research
- Water security
- Water management
- Land-use
- Global climate and environmental change
- Sustainability
- Socioenvironmental (SES) research
- Remote sensing
- Drought vulnerability
Selected Publications
Seigerman, C.K., S.K. McKay, R. Basilio, Biesel, S.A., J. Hallemeier, A.V. Mansur, C. Piercy, S. Rowan, B. Ubiali, E. Yeates, and D.R. Nelson, 2022. Operationalizing equity for integrated water resources management. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association. doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.13086
Ordway, E., A. Elmore, D.R. Nelson…. 2021. Leveraging the NEON Airborne Observation Platform for socio-environmental systems research. Ecosphere 126. doi/10.1002/ecs2.3640.
Nelson, D.R., B. Bledsoe, S. Ferreira, and N. Nibbelink. 2020. The Potential of Nature-based Solutions for water sustainability. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability.45:49-55. doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2020.09.001
De Azevedo Reis, G., F.A. de Souza Filho, D.R. Nelson, R.V. Rocha and S.M.O. da Silva (2020). Development of a vulnerability to drought index using MCDM and GIS. Natural Disasters. doi.org/10.1007/s11069-020-04247-7
Nelson, D.R., Bledsoe, B., and M Shepherd. 2020. From hubris to humility: Transcending original sin in managing hydroclimate risk management. Anthropocene. doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2020.100239
Chin, A., X. Cui, L. Gillson, D.R. Nelson, M. P. Taylor, V. Vanacker and E. Wang (2020). "Anthropocene in an age of pandemics." Anthropocene. doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2020.100247
King, E., Nelson, D.R., and J.R. McGreevy. 2019. Advancing the integration of ecosystem services and livelihood adaptation. Environmental Research Letters. doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab5519
Coughlan, M and D.R. Nelson. 2019. Geostatistical analysis of historical contingency and land use footprints in the prehistoric settlement dynamics of the South Carolina Piedmont, North America. Journal of Archaeological Science 107:1-9. doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2019.04.003
Unks, R., King, E., Nelson, D.R., Wachira, N.P., and L. German. 2019. Constraints, multiple stressors, and stratified adaptation: pastoralist livelihood vulnerability in a semi-arid wildlife conservation context in Central Kenya. Global Environmental Change. 54:124-134. doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.11.013
Unks, R., King, E., German, L. Wachira, N.P., and D.R. Nelson. 2019. Unevenness in scale mismatches: institutional change and pastoralist livelihoods in Laikipia, Kenya. Geoforum. 99:74-87. doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.12.010
Maione, C., Nelson, D.R., and R.M. Barbosa. 2019. Research on social data by means of cluster analysis. Applied Computing and Informatics. 15(2):153-162. doi:10.1016/j.aci.2018.02.003
Coughlan, M., and D.R. Nelson. 2018. Legacy effects of prehistoric Native American niche construction on Euro-American settlement in the South Carolina Piedmont. PLOS ONE. 13(3): e0195036. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195036
Delaney, A., T. Evans, J. McGreevy, J. Blekking, T. Schlachter, K. Korhonen-Kurki, P. A. Tamás, T. A. Crane, H. Eakin, W. Förch, L. Jones, D.R. Nelson, C. Oberlack, and M. Purdon. 2018. Governance of food systems across scales in times of social-ecological change: a review of indicators." Food Security 10(2): 287-310. doi.org/10.1007/s12571-018-0770-y
Grants
Current funded work:
2023 – 2027 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Incorporating Principles of Environmental Justice into Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations, a Climate and Flood Adaptation Strategy.” Co-Principal Investigator.
2023 – 2024 U.S. Department of Army. “Proposal to Expand the Applied Research Capacities of the Engineering with Nature Regional Engagement Network for Military Installations and Surrounding Communities.” Co-Principal Investigator.
2022 – 2023 Office of Research, Faculty Seed Grants in the Sciences. “Collaborative and Diverse, but Equitable? A Development of Stakeholder-Informed Lexicons to Systematically Detect Inequity in Decision-Making Processes.” Co-Principal Investigator.
2021 – 2026 National Science Foundation. "Landscape Exchange Network for Socio-environmental systems." Co-Principal Investigator.
2020 – 2024 United States Army Corp of Engineers. "Engineering with Nature Regional Proving Ground in the Southeastern US." Co-Principal Investigator.
Education
PhD, Anthropology (with minor in Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis), University of Arizona, 2005
