Michael Gavin, PhD
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Twenty-five years of experience in environmental conservation and sustainable development. Research leader with diverse technical and analytical expertise. Over 15 years directing interdisciplinary and international teams in transformative innovation through collaborative research, stakeholder engagement, education and training. Develops and directs programs and web-based platforms that empower innovative synthesis of data and research tools. Proven track record of establishing research alliances spanning the globe, including collaborations between university scientists, industry, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government agencies. Currently a Professor at Colorado State University, and a research fellow at the Max Planck Institute, Germany.
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Areas of expertise: Team leadership for innovation | Fund-raising from private and public entities | Identification of emerging trends and strategic visioning | Partnership-building with diverse stakeholders | Fostering expert collaboration | Facilitation, training, and mentorship | Design of novel analytical approaches | Communicating results broadly with different media | Global experience (Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific) | Development of open research platforms | Directing university-industry research alliances
Collaborators and Funders
Michael Gavin and his research group have received funding and/or collaborated with a wide range of different governmental agencies, NGOs, companies, and communities including:
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Michael Gavin maintains active collaborations with over 40 scientists from diverse disciplines in 7 different countries, including:
Witold Henisz
Professor of Management The Wharton School The University of Pennsylvania 
Russell Gray
Director Max Planck Institute Germany |
Carlos Botero
Assoc Professor of Biology University of Texas, Austin United States 
Claire Bowern
Professor of Linguistics Yale University United States |
Rob Dunn
Professor of Applied Ecology North Carolina State University United States 
Fikret Berkes
Distinguished Professor University of Manitoba Canada |
Fiona Jordan
Professor of Anthropology Bristol University United Kingdom 
Carol Ember
President Human Relations Area Files United States |
Current Research Associates and Students
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Kristin Hoelting, PhD Student in the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department at Colorado State University. Kristin's dissertation research examines pathways to improve utilization of cultural ecosystem services knowledge in federal decision-making in the United States. |
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Marco Tulio Pacheco Coelho , Research Associate, Marco Tulio is completing a PhD study in ecology at the Universidade Federal de Goiás, Brazil. While at Colorado State University, Marco Tulio will use simulation modeling to investigate the drivers of cultural diversification in North America. |
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Katie Powlen, PhD Student in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. Katie’s research will use the biocultural conservation framework to identify drivers of protected area effectiveness in tropical forests in Mexico. |
Alumni
Students (Masters and PhD) and postdoctoral fellows who have previously worked in our research group come from 13 different countries. They now work on environmental conservation, sustainable development, education, and/or research for non-governmental organizations, private companies, academic institutions, or government agencies around the world.
Lesly Aldana (Masters: REDD+ institutional capacity, Mexico; currently: Rainforest Alliance, Mexico)
Ekaterina Alexandrova (Masters: REDD+ safeguards; currently: The Nature Conservancy (TNC))
Caroline Ammundsen (Masters: farmer attitudes towards wetland restoration; currently: Kapiti Regional Council, New Zealand)
Richard Berl (PhD: Biases shaping cultural transmission; currently: Postdoc at Colorado State University)
Sara Blank (Masters: non-compliance with fishery regulations in California; currently: PhD candidate Univ. California -Santa Cruz)
Stephanie Blochowiak (Masters: development of monitoring program for Water Fund, Chiapas, Mexico, currently: TNC Colorado)
Diana Butler (Masters: co-management in Peruvian protected areas, currently: Univ of Hawaii)
Joshua Carrera (Masters: development of a monitoring program for the Water Fund, Chiapas, Mexico, currently: TNC New York)
Meghan Collins (Masters: models of science informing aquaculture in New Zealand; currently: Desert Research Institute)
Abu Conteh (PhD: impacts of war on biodiversity conservation in Sierra Leone)
Dominique David-Chavez (PhD: Decolonizing environmental research; currently: Postdoc at Univ of Arizona)
Jenael Falcao (Masters: citizen science and environmental education, Mexico; currently: The Nature Conservancy)
Jesse Festa (Masters: REDD+ market options CA-Mexico; currently: The Nature Conservancy)
Hannah Haynie (Postdoc: Geography and Evolution of Natural Resource Management Systems; currently: faculty at Univ. of Colorado Boulder)
Karla Hernández (Masters: TEK and community-based conservation; currently: PhD Candidate University of Nottingham)
Pilar Jacobo (Masters: Gender and REDD+, Mexico; currently: Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas, Mexico)
Oria Jamar de Bolsee (Masters: commons governance and community-based conservation)
Patrick Kavanagh (Postdoctoral Fellow: geography of land tenure and subsistence strategies; currently: NZ Ministry of Environment)
Amanda Leathers (Masters: conservation and development, Vanuatu; currently: World Wildlife Fund)
Babs Lake (Masters: triggers & barriers to urban gardening; currently: Green Party New Zealand)
Grace Leung (Masters: fair trade in Samoa; currently: PhD Candidate, University of Queensland)
Cintia Landa (Masters: TEK and community-based conservation; currently: Fondo Mexicano para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza)
Edy MacDonald (PhD: conservation-focused behavior change; currently: Business Intelligence Manager for CBS Interactive)
Ophélie Marek (Masters: ecotourism and community-based conservation, Mexico)
Matias Mastrangelo (PhD: diagnostic tools for land-use planning; currently: CONICET, Argentina)
Joe McCarter (PhD & Postdoc: traditional ecological knowledge diversity and conservation; currently: NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
John Parker (Masters: knowledge, attitudes and behaviors towards birds in urban New Zealand)
Kevin Pierce (Masters: co-management of Peruvian protected areas; Currently: City of Boulder)
Emilio Rodriquez (Masters: participatory conservation governance in Peru)
Katharina Schlick (Masters: institutional linkages for collaborative conservation on Tibetan Plateau; currently: Arabic Digital Reform Institute)
Stephanie Smith (Masters: ecotourism and community-based conservation, Mexico, currently: Ya'axche Conservation, Belize)
Terra Smith (Masters: citizen science and environmental education; currently: City of Fort Collins)
Kellie Stump (Masters: co-management of Peruvian protected areas)
Mohammed Swapan (Masters: impacts of shrimp farming; currently: Senior Lecturer, Curtin University)
Ruifei Tang (Masters/PhD: change and conservation of TEK; currently: Executive officer, IUCN CEESP)
Alyssa Thomas (PhD: non-compliance within recreational fisheries in New Zealand; currently: U.S. Forest Service)
Justina Thorsen (Masters: development of monitoring program for Water Fund; currently: BLM, New Mexico)
Alejandra Vasquez Vela (Masters: development of monitoring program for Water Fund)
Damon Yeh (Masters: commons governance and community-based conservation; currently: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Lesly Aldana (Masters: REDD+ institutional capacity, Mexico; currently: Rainforest Alliance, Mexico)
Ekaterina Alexandrova (Masters: REDD+ safeguards; currently: The Nature Conservancy (TNC))
Caroline Ammundsen (Masters: farmer attitudes towards wetland restoration; currently: Kapiti Regional Council, New Zealand)
Richard Berl (PhD: Biases shaping cultural transmission; currently: Postdoc at Colorado State University)
Sara Blank (Masters: non-compliance with fishery regulations in California; currently: PhD candidate Univ. California -Santa Cruz)
Stephanie Blochowiak (Masters: development of monitoring program for Water Fund, Chiapas, Mexico, currently: TNC Colorado)
Diana Butler (Masters: co-management in Peruvian protected areas, currently: Univ of Hawaii)
Joshua Carrera (Masters: development of a monitoring program for the Water Fund, Chiapas, Mexico, currently: TNC New York)
Meghan Collins (Masters: models of science informing aquaculture in New Zealand; currently: Desert Research Institute)
Abu Conteh (PhD: impacts of war on biodiversity conservation in Sierra Leone)
Dominique David-Chavez (PhD: Decolonizing environmental research; currently: Postdoc at Univ of Arizona)
Jenael Falcao (Masters: citizen science and environmental education, Mexico; currently: The Nature Conservancy)
Jesse Festa (Masters: REDD+ market options CA-Mexico; currently: The Nature Conservancy)
Hannah Haynie (Postdoc: Geography and Evolution of Natural Resource Management Systems; currently: faculty at Univ. of Colorado Boulder)
Karla Hernández (Masters: TEK and community-based conservation; currently: PhD Candidate University of Nottingham)
Pilar Jacobo (Masters: Gender and REDD+, Mexico; currently: Comision Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas, Mexico)
Oria Jamar de Bolsee (Masters: commons governance and community-based conservation)
Patrick Kavanagh (Postdoctoral Fellow: geography of land tenure and subsistence strategies; currently: NZ Ministry of Environment)
Amanda Leathers (Masters: conservation and development, Vanuatu; currently: World Wildlife Fund)
Babs Lake (Masters: triggers & barriers to urban gardening; currently: Green Party New Zealand)
Grace Leung (Masters: fair trade in Samoa; currently: PhD Candidate, University of Queensland)
Cintia Landa (Masters: TEK and community-based conservation; currently: Fondo Mexicano para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza)
Edy MacDonald (PhD: conservation-focused behavior change; currently: Business Intelligence Manager for CBS Interactive)
Ophélie Marek (Masters: ecotourism and community-based conservation, Mexico)
Matias Mastrangelo (PhD: diagnostic tools for land-use planning; currently: CONICET, Argentina)
Joe McCarter (PhD & Postdoc: traditional ecological knowledge diversity and conservation; currently: NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
John Parker (Masters: knowledge, attitudes and behaviors towards birds in urban New Zealand)
Kevin Pierce (Masters: co-management of Peruvian protected areas; Currently: City of Boulder)
Emilio Rodriquez (Masters: participatory conservation governance in Peru)
Katharina Schlick (Masters: institutional linkages for collaborative conservation on Tibetan Plateau; currently: Arabic Digital Reform Institute)
Stephanie Smith (Masters: ecotourism and community-based conservation, Mexico, currently: Ya'axche Conservation, Belize)
Terra Smith (Masters: citizen science and environmental education; currently: City of Fort Collins)
Kellie Stump (Masters: co-management of Peruvian protected areas)
Mohammed Swapan (Masters: impacts of shrimp farming; currently: Senior Lecturer, Curtin University)
Ruifei Tang (Masters/PhD: change and conservation of TEK; currently: Executive officer, IUCN CEESP)
Alyssa Thomas (PhD: non-compliance within recreational fisheries in New Zealand; currently: U.S. Forest Service)
Justina Thorsen (Masters: development of monitoring program for Water Fund; currently: BLM, New Mexico)
Alejandra Vasquez Vela (Masters: development of monitoring program for Water Fund)
Damon Yeh (Masters: commons governance and community-based conservation; currently: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
