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Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources

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Ph.D. in Transdisciplinary Leadership and Creativity for Sustainability

Conduct collaborative applied research that supports a future where all life can thrive.

The Ph.D. in Transdisciplinary Leadership & Creativity for Sustainability (TLCS) program will prepare students to sustain rigorous, collaborative, and original scholarly knowledge production practices across community, organizational, ecological, and social movement settings to address complex challenges from a place of creativity. 

This Ph.D. program is rooted in a tradition of engaged scholarship that recognizes the inseparability of environmental and social challenges, as well as the interdependence of cultural and biological diversity. Anchored by the wisdom and experience of a global community, the TLCS program is made up of practitioner scholars who embody relational leadership and knowledge generation practices rooted in lineages and traditions that stand for love, relationship, reciprocity and solidarity.

A distance-learning doctoral model for emerging scholar-leaders

The TLCS program is accessible to students and emerging scholar-leaders from the United States and abroad. The distance-learning model allows students to stay rooted in their home communities and organizations. Each student addresses research questions that are relevant to these complex and uncertain times. 

Who Is This For?

• Community-based practitioners and organizational and social movement leaders who are committed to applied scholarship at the intersection of environmental/social issues
• Leaders who want to build a rigorous and collaborative scholarly knowledge production practice across community, organizational and/or social movement settings to address complex challenges from a place of creativity.
• Individuals seeking a career in academia and/or who are committed to bringing these knowledge production practices more fully into their communities and professional spheres.

Distinctive Features

• Practice-based and relationship-centered
• Rooted in sustainability, decolonization, solidarity, ecological/systems thinking and change, and creativity
• Rigorous, innovative, and applied humanities and social sciences approach
• Rooted in epistemic freedom and multiple ways of knowing
• Distance-learning/online design 

Program Structure & Curriculum

The Ph.D. in TLCS program offers a core curriculum rooted in practice-based research methodologies anchored in social sciences and humanities; rigorous analysis of power, privilege and systems change; ecological and systems thinking approaches; and a solid grounding in theories and practices relating to creativity and leadership.

Learn more about our program structure and curriculum >>

Faculty & Affiliates

Anchored by the wisdom and experience of a global community, the TLCS program is made up of practitioner scholars who embody relational leadership and knowledge generation practices rooted in lineages and traditions that stand for love, relationship, reciprocity and solidarity.

Learn more about our faculty and affiliates > >

Tuition & Financial Support

The PhD in Transdisciplinary Leadership & Creativity for Sustainability (TLCS) program holds financial accessibility as a top priority and is committed to creatively addressing/supporting student participation.

Learn more about tuition and financial support >>

Application Information

We are currently accepting applications for Fall 2024. Please reach out to Drusilla Roessle at  [email protected]  if you have any questions about the application process or program. 

Learn more about applying to the Phd in TLCS >>

Program History

The TLCS program launched in Spring 2022 as the second doctoral program within the Rubenstein School of Natural Resources and Environment. The TLCS program builds upon the unique and highly successful low-residency and transformational leadership model of the Rubenstein School's Master of Professional Studies in Leadership for Sustainability (MLS).

Learn more about the MLS program >>

We would love to hear from you! Please reach out to share what brings you to our program and any questions you may have. You can email Drusilla Roessle at [email protected] with any questions and/or to set up a time to connect by phone.

Ph.D. in TLCS Overview

Program Structure, Curriculum & Requirements

Upcoming Online Open House

We would love to hear from you! Email Drusilla Roessle at [email protected] with any questions and/or to set up a time to connect by phone.

Economics, Conservation and Other Stuff

Brendan Fisher

Associate professor, environmental program, rubenstein school of environment and natural resources faculty fellow, gund institute for environment.

I’m interested in stuff. On the research side of stuff, I’m interested in where conservation, human development and economics overlap. A guiding principle to my research is, Is the question policy (or intervention) relevant in the near term? In the wide world of sustainability science the word “applied” should get a gold star, another gold star goes to research that sheds light on practical solutions to our problems that can be implemented in the near term. Gold stars, and stickers in general, are good motivators for high quality work (I still feel this way despite Mrs. McDermott rarely giving me one in grade school). I teach courses on sustainability science, behavioral economics, environmental/ecological economics and research methods.

Stuff I’m interested outside of research and teaching include running, soccer, ice hockey, skiing, and spending as much time as possible enjoying the Vermont outdoors with my wife and children.

PhD, Natural Resources, University of Vermont MSc, Environmental Change and Management, Oxford University BSc, Civil Engineering, Bucknell University

Hilary byerly, phd candidate, rubenstein school of environment and natural resources graduate fellow, gund institute for environment.

I’m a bit like a horseshoe crab, or (on a really good day) Nick Offerman. I’m a generalist interested in using the tools of economics, psychology, and ecology to understand the weird ways we make decisions. My research applies behavioral insights to environmental decision making, particularly the choices people make about managing and enjoying nature. I’m also interested in how being in nature affects human wellbeing. Previously, I mapped and modeled agricultural development and drought vulnerability across India with the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition. Prior to graduate school, I led the marketing efforts of Global Greengrants Fund, an international grantmaking organization. For four years I wrote about environmental projects in the Global South and used framing, anchoring, and nudges to garner support for our grantees. I also spent a season in an indigenous village in India working with grassroots leaders and farming everything from amaranth to zucchini.

A Colorado native, I’m happiest outside. I especially love skiing with my favorite people, enjoying a lukewarm beer on a mountain summit, and jogging (silent “j”) with my dog, Wilma.

MS, Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University BA, Environmental Studies & International Affairs, University of Colorado

Claire mcilvennie, phd student,  rubenstein school of environment and natural resources trainee, nsf igert smart grid.

I’m interested in all things related to human behavior and our energy system. In particular, my research focuses on understanding how people use energy in their homes, how this is influenced by technology, and how we can use this understanding to create programs to save energy and manage the grid. The path to my current research has been somewhat unexpected and always interdisciplinary. I earned my BA in Psychology and Economics at Middlebury College, where the application of social science insights to motivate pro-environmental behavior intrigued me. Through my MSc in Environmental Change and Management I explored the impacts our energy system has on the environment and the role of human behavior in determining the future of that system. Building on these concepts, I then spent the last two years working in the utility industry to advance behavior-based approaches to managing energy use, experience that will form the foundation of my current research.

When not nerding-out on energy, you can find me running long distances or hiking, cooking (hopefully) tasty food, or in search of a good book and cup of coffee.

MSc, Environmental Change and Management, University of Oxford BA, Psychology and Economics, Middlebury College

Ben balmford, lab member-at-large.

I’m from across the pond, so I speak with a silly accent and get easily distracted by football (aka soccer) – be it watching or playing. When I am not doing that, my academic interests lie in providing for the planet without costing the earth, so we organised a symposium for really smart people to tell me how we can do just that (see here if interested).  As such I am interested in firstly really understanding just how much we rely on wild nature to do things for us, and secondly on how we can change human behaviour so we exploit the planet less. At Oxford I conducted research into the population dynamics of wolves, and evaluated how imperfect land sparing could be and still be better for biodiversity than land sharing, as well as beginning to educate myself in economics.  Currently I am furthering the work on imperfect sparing to account for more realistic population size/population viability curves, as well as working with Brendan to develop a bio-economic model to asses costs and benefits of wolf restoration in New England.

Outside of work, I take a keen interest in natural history (particularly mammals, but in the UK also birds); fail hopelessly at kicking (football) and hitting (squash) balls around but have a good time; and enjoy cooking food that at least I find tasty.

PhD (in progress), University of Exeter

Bs, university of oxford, ranaivo rasolofoson, postdoctoral research associate.

I am interested in the impacts of nature conservation on environmental and social outcomes. I use diverse approaches such as rigorous causal inference methods and participatory research. Using these different methods, I have looked at the impacts of community forest management and strictly protected areas on deforestation and human well-being in Madagascar.

PhD, Environmental and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen PhD, Forestry, Bangor University MS, Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology, University of Maryland BS, Wildlife Biology, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar

Nelson grima.

I am engaged with ecosystem services work at different scales, studying human-nature interactions aiming to better understand the role ecosystems have over livelihoods. Including research on issues related to sustainability of natural resources use, wildlife and landscape management, policy decision making, and ecological and socioeconomic transitions in post-conflict areas.

PhD, Social Ecology, Institute of Social Ecology, Alpen-Adria University, Vienna (Austria) MSc, European Forestry, (double degree), University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu (Finland) / University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna (Austria) MSc, Forest Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida (Spain) BSc, Forest Engineering, University of Lleida, Lleida (Spain)

Dan Kopin – Undergraduate Research Assistant Diego Herrera Garcia – Postdoctoral Research Associate Charlotte Adams – Undergraduate Research Assistant Haley Jean – Undergraduate Research Assistant Charles Martin – Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Reimagining Design with Nature: ecological urbanism in Moscow

• Reflective Essay
• Published: 10 September 2019
• Volume 1 , pages 233–247, ( 2019 )

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• Brian Mark Evans   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1420-1682 1  

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The twenty-first century is the era when populations of cities will exceed rural communities for the first time in human history. The population growth of cities in many countries, including those in transition from planned to market economies, is putting considerable strain on ecological and natural resources. This paper examines four central issues: (a) the challenges and opportunities presented through working in jurisdictions where there are no official or established methods in place to guide regional, ecological and landscape planning and design; (b) the experience of the author’s practice—Gillespies LLP—in addressing these challenges using techniques and methods inspired by McHarg in Design with Nature in the Russian Federation in the first decade of the twenty-first century; (c) the augmentation of methods derived from Design with Nature in reference to innovations in technology since its publication and the contribution that the art of landscape painters can make to landscape analysis and interpretation; and (d) the application of this experience to the international competition and colloquium for the expansion of Moscow. The text concludes with a comment on how the application of this learning and methodological development to landscape and ecological planning and design was judged to be a central tenant of the winning design. Finally, a concluding section reflects on lessons learned and conclusions drawn.

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Acknowledgements

The landscape team from Gillespies Glasgow Studio (Steve Nelson, Graeme Pert, Joanne Walker, Rory Wilson and Chris Swan) led by the author and all our collaborators in the Capital Cities Planning Group.

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Evans, B.M. Reimagining Design with Nature: ecological urbanism in Moscow. Socio Ecol Pract Res 1 , 233–247 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-019-00031-5

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Received : 17 March 2019

Accepted : 13 August 2019

Published : 10 September 2019

Issue Date : October 2019

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s42532-019-00031-5

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Quick links, new uw-stevens point graduate program blends business and natural resources .

Since it created the first conservation major in the nation in 1946, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has been a leader in providing well-rounded and highly educated professionals to multi-faceted natural resources fields across the nation. 

With a newly revamped online Master of Natural Resources in Conservation and Leadership degree, UW-Stevens Point is offering natural resources professionals the opportunity to grow as a leader in their field by gaining the business management skills they need to advance while continuing to work full-time.  

This graduate program is 100 percent online and blends courses in business management with those in natural resources. Students also choose a certificate program to tailor the degree, with options such as water resources, applied management and environmental education and interpretation. 

Applications are now open for this fall. Students may begin in the fall or spring, with additional summer courses offered. Students may study part- or full-time, with courses that are asynchronous (at your own pace) and synchronous (time-based). 

The UW-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources (CNR) collaborated with the university’s Sentry School of Business and Economics to create a program that fits the needs of today’s natural resources professionals, said Brenda Lackey, associate dean for academic affairs within the CNR. 

“UW-Stevens Point’s Growth Initiative supported an analysis of those working in natural resources and found there is a need and demand for this kind of program,” said Lackey. “The overwhelming response from employees and our CNR alumni was that adding business and management courses to the degree would benefit both student and employee master’s degree candidates.” 

This program refocuses an online master of natural resources program that began in 2018. The CNR also offers an in-person, thesis-based Master of Science degree in natural resources. 

Nine business credits include courses on budget and project management and Lean Six Sigma management, while 12 natural resources credits include policy, research and ecology courses. 

“This new program is flexible for working adults looking for management skills,” said Nicholas Schultz, the graduate recruitment coordinator at UW-Stevens Point. “You don’t need to have a natural resources undergraduate degree to enter this program, so it also offers a career change for those interested in jobs with an environmental, sustainability or natural resources focus.” 

Scholarships are available, said Lackey, and additionally, the tuition is the same for in state and out-of-state residents, Lackey said. “This is a great opportunity for those living in Alaska or right here in Wisconsin.” 

Patrick Marschie, an alum of the online graduate program, credits it for helping him land his job as a cooperative forestry manager within the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 

“This program opened up professional opportunities and gave me the tools to succeed,” he said. “I would not be in a natural resources management position without completing UWSP’s MNR program.” 

The program is one of the first to come out of UW-Stevens Point’s Growth Initiative, an aspect of the university’s strategic plan that has faculty working to create programming that meets the needs of today’s professionals and the global economy. 

“UW-Stevens Point is dedicated to providing vibrant programs that foster student success,” said Renee Pfeifer-Luckett, associate vice chancellor for program growth. “With the Growth Initiative, the university is extending our reach beyond our campuses by offering new online and graduate programs that cater to evolving learner needs.”

To learn more or apply for the Master of Natural Resources in Conservation and Leadership program, go to www.uwsp.edu/programs/degree/master-of-natural-resources-degree/ , attend one of the many upcoming information sessions or contact Schultz at [email protected] .