I am a Professor of Sociology at California State University Chico. I earned my Ph.D. in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz in 2012.
I write and speak about generative AI’s impact on higher education with my friend Zach Justus. Find our work at Melts into Air. Prefer listening? Find our podcast at Unfixed.
New book coming March 2027! Damming Debates: Navigating the Waters of Northwest Hydropower, University of Washington Press.
Book Description:
“Hydropower embodies a central paradox of the clean-energy transition: infrastructure that produces abundant low-carbon electricity can simultaneously perpetuate ecological damage and colonial extraction. In the Northwest, debates about dam removal, salmon recovery, and energy reliability reveal how difficult it is to reconcile climate urgency with justice and ecological repair. Clear, nuanced, and grounded in voices from across the region, Damming Debates offers an essential guide to a consequential environmental crossroads—and to the broader challenge of building a just energy transition.”
My scholarly work
I focus on the impacts of urbanization, governance practices, and technology on environmental issues. Past research includes post-Katrina New Orleans and Superfund clean-up efforts along the Duwamish River in Seattle, WA. Additionally, I co-edited the book Urban Cascadia and the Pursuit of Environmental Justice, which examines the profound transformations driven by capitalist urbanization in the Cascadia region and highlights the efforts of various stakeholders to foster a more equitable and democratic society.