From the United States Midwest, to Southern Brazil, and now to Central Europe, my research journey has offered lessons from a great diversity of farmers, food systems, and agricultural landscapes. In my work, I engage food system actors from the grassroots to the government, building networks for social-ecological sustainability.
Education
2016-2021 – PhD in Agroecology (Resource Ecology and Management), School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI, USA)
- Dissertation: Assessing Social, Ecological, and Nutritional Outcomes of Crop Diversification: Agroecological Transitions in Southern Brazil
- Committee: Jennifer Blesh (chair), Hannah Wittman, Donald R. Zak, Andrew Jones
- Community partners: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), Centro de Estudos e Promoção da Agricultura de Grupo (CEPAGRO), Rede Ecovida de Agroecologia
2011-2015 – BSc in Biology and Environmental Studies: Food Systems, Nutrition and the Environment, Tufts University (Medford, MA, USA)
- Magna Cum Laude with Highest Thesis Honors
- Thesis: Nourishing the “People of Maize”: Maize Protein Composition and Farmer Practices in the Q’eqchi’ Maya Milpa
- Committee: Dr. Colin Orians (ecology), Dr. Alex Blanchette (anthropology)
- Community partners: EcoLogic Development Fund, APROSARSTUN
2013-2014 – Semester of study, Schools of Agronomy and Natural Resources, Universidad Austral de Chile, Middlebury School Abroad in Chile (Valdivia, Chile)
Selected Awards
2019-2022 – Conservation, Food & Health Foundation Grant, GMA Foundations, Boston, MA ($85,000 to CEPAGRO, co-PI)
2016-2021 – Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship, U.S. National Science Foundation ($138,000)
2020-2021 – Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) Supplemental Funding Opportunity, U.S. National Science Foundation, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Food Systems and Global Change Team ($26,595)
2020-2021 – Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship, Rackham School of Graduate Studies, University of Michigan ($32,670)
2018-2020 – Graduate Research Opportunities Worldwide (GROW) award, U.S. National Science Foundation and Brazilian Ministry of Education (CAPES), Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil ($12,500)
2016-2017 – Graduate Academic Year Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship for Portuguese, U.S. Department of Education, Rackham School of Graduate Studies, International Institute, University of Michigan ($58,674)
Media & Outreach
2021 – Interview, News Feature in Nature by Gayathri Vaidyanathan. “What humanity should eat to stay healthy and save the planet.“
2021 – Interview, Keynotes Podcast: Stories of Collective Impact, Keystone Policy Center (Keystone, CO). “There’s No Free Lunch.”
2019 – CEPAGRO Communications (in Portuguese):
Doutoranda dos EUA apresenta resultados de pesquisa para famílias agricultoras
Projeto de adubação verde une pesquisa acadêmica e extensão rural
Anne Elise Stratton, PhD 