Kelsey Emard, PhD
Assistant Professor, Geography, Oregon State University
The Political Ecology Lab
The Political Ecology Lab in OSU's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science examines the power dynamics that shape natural resource access and use and the ways that social power relations mediate the impacts of environmental change.
We are geographers, geospatial scientists, environmental scientists, agriculturalists, activists, and educators who aim to bring consideration of power, equity, and justice to our work in the geographic and environmental sciences.
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If you are interested in joining us, please reach out at kelsey dot emard at oregonstate.edu
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Lab Members​
Kelsey Emard (she/her)
PI/Lab Director
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I am an Assistant Professor of Geography at Oregon State University. My interdisciplinary work centers on changes in rural land uses and livelihoods and how rural communities adapt to environmental change in the U.S. and Central America. I collaborate with farmers, fishers, USDA, the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, and many others to support rural communities in navigating environmental change and political economic factors shaping both adaptation possibilities and outcomes. For more information, visit my site.
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Lorena Cardenas (she/her)
PhD Student in Geography and Geospatial Science
Graduate Teaching Assistant
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Lorena has more than 12 years of experience in the design and implementation of projects in family farming, local climate change effects, shock responsive social protection, food security, cash based transfers (CBT) and innovative and inclusive solutions in Peru, Ecuador and other Latin- American countries. Peruvian herself, Lorena has a degree in Geography and Environment from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) and a master's in Governance and Development from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Currently she is studying the local climate change effects and their implications on livelihoods in two rural communities located in the upper and middle parts of the Cañete River basin in the Peruvian Andes.
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Ann Marie Lauritsen (she/her)
PhD Student Environmental Sciences​
Wildlife Biologist at U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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Ann Marie has worked in the field of conservation over the last two decades, from endangered species recovery and implementation to research and policy and most recently international sea turtle conservation efforts. Her research interests lie at the intersection of global conservation and social science to better understand how conservation is integrated at the community level.
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Kylie Griggs
MS Student in Geography and Geospatial Science
Graduate Research Assistant
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Kylie is studying the expansion of hazelnut production in the Willamette Valley, Oregon and identifying site characteristics that support hazelnut production. She employs remote sensing, geospatial analysis, and interviews in her analyses. ​
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Lab Alumni​
Nicholas Cramer (he/him)
HBS in Geography and Geospatial Science and HBA Spanish
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Nicholas​ graduated in 2025 with an Honor's BS in Geography and Geospatial Science and an Honor's BA in Spanish. His Honor's thesis, "From Paper Maps to Artificial Intelligence: A Historical Analysis of Cartography and Geospatial Science,” provided a historical evaluation of mapping practices through a case study of Oregon highway maps and offered insights for contemporary ethical questions in cartography.
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Margo Carroll (she/her)
Master's Student Environmental Science
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Margo studied environmental governance and climate change adaptation planning in forests using a range of geospatial and ecosystem monitoring tools. She is now Environmental Science Lead at Two Bears Environmental Consulting LLC.
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Olivia Cameron (she/they)
MS Geography
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Olivia successfully defended her thesis in October 2023 and accepted a new career position as the Coordinator of Adventure Trips and Classes at OSU's Adventure Leadership Institute. In her MS thesis research, she explored the ways social systems such as gendered norms and masculinities intersected with farming practices and farmers' abilities and choices to adapt. ​
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Abby Knipp (they/them)
MS Marine Resource Management
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Abby completed their MS in August 2023 and accepted a position as Field Organizer for advocacy non-profit, Rogue Climate. Abby is an activist, creator, and scientist who studied power dynamics in the decision-making process of marine protected areas during their MS. ​
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Elliott Scheuer (he/they)
BS in Geography and Geospatial Science​
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Elliott graduated in June 2023 and started a new position as Course Materials Specialist at the J. Paul Leonard Library. While at Oregon State University, Elliott conducted research on farmers' adaptation to climate change as part of the political ecology lab. Together with Lauren, they created and presented a poster at the 2023 American Association of Geographers Meeting in Denver.
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Lauren Hanley (she/her)
BS in Environmental Sciences and Geography and Geospatial Science​
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Lauren graduated in August 2023 but before that she conducted qualitative data collection and analysis for our lab's project on climate data usability for farmers. With Elliott, she created and presented a poster at the 2023 American Association of Geographers Meeting in Denver.