Elizabeth M De Santo Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Program Chair of Environmental Studies

Elizabeth De Santo is an environmental policy and governance scholar with interdisciplinary training in political geography and environmental law, international relations, environmental management, and marine zoology. Her teaching and research focus on marine biodiversity conservation and global environmental governance, critically examining (1) the efficacy and equity implications of spatial approaches to conserving marine species and habitats, and (2) improving the science-policy interface in environmental decision-making. She is particularly interested in the challenges of effectively implementing Marine Protected Areas and biodiversity conservation worldwide.

Prior to joining F&M, she taught in the Marine Affairs Program and College of Sustainability at Dalhousie University. She has also held positions with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Environment Center. She is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law and the Editorial Board of Marine Policy.

Please see her website for more information about her research and teaching, including links to publications, online talks, and other media.

Education

PhD in Geography, co-supervised in Laws, University College London

MSc in History of International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science

Master of Environmental Management (MEM), focus in Coastal Environmental Management, Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment

BA (Hons.) in Zoology, minor in Anthropology, Connecticut College

Courses

CNX 240 The Whale

ENE/STS 216 Environmental Policy

ENE/GOV 320 International Environmental Law

ENE/BIO 360 Wildlife Conservation

ENE/BIO 405 Marine Protected Areas

Research areas

Governing biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction

Militarized and large-scale marine protected areas

Coastal and marine conservation planning

Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI)