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Environmental Resources and Policy Faculty

Our faculty are a unique blend of researchers, educators and professionals who are proven experts in their fields.

Marjorie Brooks, Associate Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - Zoology

I am interested in testing how multiple human stressors affect aquatic communities, and how we can alleviate those stressors so organisms and ecosystems can adapt to climate change. I also investigate the some fundamental aspects of the biogeochemistry of microbial communities meaning that I study a variety of aquatic systems in the lab and field



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Marjorie Brooks

Phone: 618-453-7639
mlbrooks@siu.edu

Carolyn Butts-Wilmsmeyer , Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Predictive Analytics

Environmental Resources and Policy - Biological Sciences

Research Interests:

As a statistical geneticist, my research interests lie at the intersection of predictive models, plant genetics, and human health. The overall goal of my research program is to build statistical models that allow us to predict and improve plant characteristics of economic and societal importance, such as the nutritional quality of grain crops and the natural resilience of plant production systems. My current research projects include developing more predictive genomic selection techniques for complex traits and minimizing the occurrence of mycotoxin-producing fungal pathogens in grain production systems.



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Carolyn Butts-Wilmsmeyer

Phone: 618-650-2682
cbuttsw@siue.edu

Andrew Carver, Professor, Director of Engagement

Forestry, Horticulture, Environmental Resources and Policy

Dr. Carver is Professor of Conservation Planning and Sustainable Development and Director of Engagement for the College of Agricultural Sciences. Dr. Carver leads a globally recognized teaching and research program in international natural resource conservation and international development. His research informs policy decision making in Europe, North America, Central America and Central Asia. His outreach duties include building domestic and international partnerships for the SIU College of Agricultural Sciences.



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Andrew Carver

Office: Agriculture Building, Room 186-B
Phone: 618-453-7461
acarver@siu.edu

Dunren Che, Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - Computer Science



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Dunren Che

Office: Engineering A0307B
Phone: 618-453-6046
dche@cs.siu.edu

Leslie Duram, Professor, Fulbright Scholar, Director of the Environmental Studies Program

Geography and Environmental Resources

Dr. Duram's research interests are environmental geography (local- to global-scale environmental issues), environmental public participation, climate change education, plant-based diets, and campus sustainability.



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Leslie Duram

duram@siu.edu
Phone: 618-453-6084
Office: 4537 Faner Hall
Scholar Profile
CV (pdf)

Karla Gage, Associate Professor

Crop, Soil and Environmental Management

Dr. Karla Gage is Assistant Professor of Weed Science and Plant Biology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she received her Ph.D. in Plant Biology with a focus in Weed Ecology in 2013. She holds a cross-appointment between the College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Soil and Agricultural Systems and the College of Science, Department of Plant Biology. She has experience working with weed management research, planning and control in agricultural, grassland, forest, and aquatic ecosystems.



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Karla Gage Office: Public Policy Institute, Room 108 
Phone: 618-453-7679 
kgage@siu.edu

David Gibson, Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - Plant Biology



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David Gibson

Office: Life Science II 405
Phone: 618-453-3231

djgibson@siu.edu

Nicholas Guehlstorf, Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - SIUE Cooperative Faculty

I'm an environmental scientist interested in human health hazard and exposure assessment. My prior research experience largely focused on monitoring and modeling contaminant fate, bioaccumulation, and human exposure. I have also maintained an interest in environmental statistics and data analysis applications, as well as information exchange, collaboration, and education with other environmental specialists and the general public. 



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Nicholas Guehlstorf

Phone: 618-650-3852
nguehls@siue.edu

Scott Hamilton-Brehm, Associate Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - Microbiology

Research Specialties: Anaerobic and aerobic cultivation of microorganisms, environmental sampling.

Education:

PhD, 2008, University of Georgia, Athens, GA



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Scott Hamilton-Brehm

Phone: 618-453-3818
scott.hamilton-brehm@siu.edu

Kristin Hurst, Assistant Professor

Geography and Environmental Resources

Dr. Hurst's research interests include Sustainability Psychology, Pro-environmental Behavior, Climate Change Engagement, and Human-Environment Interactions.



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Kristen Hurst

kristin.hurst@siu.edu
Phone: 618-536-3375
Office: 4520 Faner Hall
Google Scholar Profile
CV (pdf)

Sajal Lahiri, Professor of Economics

Sajal Lahiri, Ph.D. earned his doctorate from the Indian Statistical Institute (1977). He worked at the University of Essex in England (1978-2002) and joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University in 2002 as the Vandeveer endowed chair in Economics and is a distinguished scholar at SIU.



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SIU Sajal Lahiri

Office: Faner Hall, 4130
Phone: 618-453-9472
lahiri@siu.edu

Liliana Lefticariu, Professor

Geology

Education

  • B.Sc. 1989, University of Bucharest
  • M.S. 2001, Northern Illinois University
  • Ph.D. 2004, Northern Illinois University

 



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Liliana Lefticariu

Office: Parkinson Lab 301 D 
Phone: 618-453-7373
Fax: 618-453-7393
lefticariu@geo.siu.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Webpage

Ruopu Li, Associate Professor

Geography and Environmental Resources

Dr. Li's research centers on the Geoinformatics for Food-Energy-Water (GeoFEW). His specific research topics include Water Resources Modeling and Management, Food-Energy-Water Nexus, Social-Hydrological Systems, Energy Geography, and Smart and Connected Communities. His research methods involve geospatial artificial intelligence, social media data mining, multispectral drones, and community surveys.



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Ruopu Li

ruopu.li@siu.edu
Phone: 618-453-6038
Office: 4543 Faner Hall
The GeoFEW Research Lab
Scholar Profile
CV (pdf)

Zhi-Qing Lin, Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - SIUE Cooperative Faculty



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Zhi-Qing Lin

Phone: 618-650-2650
zhlin@siue.edu

Adriana Martinez, Assistant Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - SIUE Cooperative Faculty

I am a physical geographer with GIS expertise. I received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geosciences (2005), and a Master of Science in Geography (Fluvial Geomorphology, 2008) at Texas A&M University and a PhD in Geography (Fluvial Geomorphology, 2013) at the University of Oregon.



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Patricia McCubbin, Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - School of Law

Professor McCubbin is an expert on federal environmental law and administrative law. She joined SIU Law in 2000 after a distinguished career with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. She served as a Fulbright Scholar in China at the Wuhan University School of Law in Wuhan, China, which is home to one of China’s premier research institutes for environmental law. She also was a visitor at the Izmir University of Economics in Izmir, Turkey. 



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Patricia McCubbin

Office: Lesar Law Building 228
Phone: 618-453-8759

mccubbin@siu.edu

Logan Park, Associate Professor

Forestry

Logan O. Park is the Associate Professor of Forest Recreation and Park Management in the Forestry Department of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.



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Logan Park
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 194-D
Phone: 618-453-7476
logan.park@siu.edu

William Retzlaff, Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - SIUE Cooperative Faculty



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William Retzlaff

Phone: 618-650-2728
wretzla@siue.edu

Charles Ruffner, Professor

Forestry

Charles M. Ruffner, Ph.D., specializes in old-growth forest ecology and fire history in his research and teaching, and is deeply engaged in service with professional and community groups at multiple scales.



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Charles Ruffner
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 194-C
Phone: 618-453-7469
ruffner@siu.edu 

Amir Sadeghpour, Associate Professor

Crop, Soil and Environmental Management

Dr. Amir Sadeghpour is an Assistant Professor of Soil Management and Integrated Cropping Systems in the Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.



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Amir Sadeghpour

Office: Agriculture Building, Room 176
Phone: (618) 453-1795
Email: amir.sadeghpour@siu.edu
Website: https://asadeghpour.com/

Justin Schoof, Director, School of Earth Systems and Sustainability and Professor, Geography and Environmental Resources

Geography and Environmental Resources

Dr. Schoof's research interests include climate variability and change, synoptic climatology, and statistical climatology.



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Justin Schoof

jschoof@siu.edu
Phone: 618-453-6019
Office: 4524 Faner Hall
Scholar Profile
CV (pdf)

Jon Schoonover, Professor

Forestry

Dr. Schoonover serves as Professor of Physical Hydrology and Soils in the Forestry Program at SIUC.



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Jon Schoonover
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 192-B
Phone: 618-453-7468
jschoon@siu.edu 

Sylvia Smith, Professor

Dr. Sylvia Smith joined the faculty at SIU in 2007. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Tennessee while completing research on Culinary Tourism. Her interest in food is what landed her in Carbondale, Illinois. During one of her interviews, she had a chance to visit the local farmer’s market. The market, people, and produce were so abundant and thriving she recognized the quality of life that could be possible in the Carbondale community. In 2010, she helped establish the Illinois Farmers Market Association.



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Sylvia Smith

Quigley Hall, 209 B
Office: 618-536-7567
Dept: 618-453-3307
ssmith8@siu.edu

Chris Theodarakis, Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - SIUE Cooperative Faculty



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Chris Theodarakis

Phone: 618-650-5235
ctheodo@siue.edu

Guangxing Wang, Professor, Remote Sensing and GIS

Geography and Environmental Resources

Dr. Wang's research interests include remote sensing, GIS, spatial statistics and their applications to geography, natural and environmental resources with the specific areas: sampling design strategies; human activity and natural disaster induced vegetation disturbance and soil erosion, environmental quality assessment; forest and city vegetation carbon sequestration modeling and mapping; wetland classification and dynamics monitoring; desertification trend monitoring; quality assessment and spatial uncertainty analysis of remote sensing and GIS products.



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Guangxing Wang

gxwang@siu.edu
Phone: 618-453-6017
Office: 4442 Faner Hall
Scholar Profile
CV (pdf)

Karl Williard, Professor and Faculty Coordinator

Forestry, Executive Director of The Universities Council on Water Resources

Karl W.J. Williard is a Professor of Forest Hydrology and Watershed Management in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU).



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Karl Williard
Office: Agriculture Building, Room 184-A
Phone: 618-453-7478
williard@siu.edu

Jianhong Xu, Associate Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - Mathematics



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Jianhong Xu

Office: Neckers 387
Phone: 618-453.6561

jhxu@siu.edu

Kyong Sup Yoon, Assistant Professor

Environmental Resources and Policy - SIUE Cooperative Faculty

My main research interests span a spectrum of environmental toxicology and medical entomology to protect agriculture, animal and human health in environmentally safe, sustainable and affordable ways. I have been particularly interested in the following areas of interdisciplinary research: (1) mechanism of acute action of toxic substances: (2) genetic and epigenetic factors and processes associated with insecticide resistance; (3) adverse effects of sub-lethal and long-term exposure to environmental chemicals; (4) controlling and management of human head and body louse populations; and (5) developing and evaluating biochemical and molecular diagnostics for chemical and pest management. Overall, my scholarly work has attempted to addresses the linkage and interaction between exposure to environmentally ubiquitous toxic substances and factors governing physiology, genetics and epigenetics. 



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Kyong Sup Yoon

Phone: 618-650-3302
kyoon@siue.edu

School of Earth Systems and Sustainability | College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences | 618-453-7328 |