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ERP Staff
Our faculty are a unique blend of researchers, educators and professionals who are proven experts in their fields.
Kofi Akamani, Assistant Professor
Environmental Resources and Policy - Forestry
Kofi Akamani is an Assistant Professor of Forest Recreation and Conservation Social Science in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University. He received his Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho. His interdisciplinary teaching and research agenda involves the integration of concepts from social-ecological systems research, rural sociology, and common pool resources among others with the aim of gaining a theoretical understanding of human-environment interactions across multiple scales from the local to the global, and informing policies that promote human well-being and ecosystem health across the rural urban continuum. He is particularly interested in understanding and enhancing the resilience of rural resource-dependent communities and the adaptive governance of forests, land and water resources in Ghana and the US.
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Office: Agriculture Building, Room 194-B
Phone: 618 | 453-7464
E-mail: k.akamani@siu.edu
Kristen Barber, Assistant Professor
Environmental Resources and Policy - Sociology
Dr. Barber is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program. She received her Ph.D. from University of Southern California and joined the SIU faculty in 2011. Her expertise lies in the sociology of gender with a focus on masculinities, culture, and work. Barber's research is guided by questions about what everyday boundary-crossing behavior can teach us about complex systems of inequality. Her book, Styling Masculinity: Gender, Class and Inequality in the Men's Grooming Industry is published by Rutgers University Press; and her 2019 co-authored textbook, Gendered Worlds 4th Edition, is published by Oxford University Press.
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Office: Faner Hall 3436
Phone: 618-453-7633
E-mail: barber@siu.edu
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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Phone: 618-453-7639
E-mail: 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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Phone: 618-650-2682
E-mail: cbuttsw@siue.edu
Andrew Carver, Professor, Director of Engagement
Environmental Resources and Policy - Forestry
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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Office: Agriculture Building, Room 186-B
Phone: 618 | 453-7461
E-mail: acarver@siu.edu
Dunren Che, Professor

Office: Engineering A0307B
Phone: (618) 453-6046
Email: 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), local food systems, environmental public participation, climate change activism, and campus sustainability.
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Email: duram@siu.edu
Phone: (618) 453-6084
Office: 4537 Faner Hall
Scholar Profile
CV (pdf)
Karla Gage, Assistant Professor
Environmental Resources and Policy - Plant, Soil and Agricultural Systems and Plant Biology
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.View Full Bio

Phone: 618-453-7679
E-mail: kgage@siu.edu
David Gibson, Professor

Office: Life Science II 405
Phone: 618-453-3231
E-mail: 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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Phone: 618-650-3852
E-mail: 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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Phone: 618-453-3818
E-mail: scott.hamilton-brehm@siu.edu
Kristen 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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Email: kristin.hurst@siu.edu
Phone: (618) 536-3375
Office: 4520 Faner Hall
Google Scholar Profile
CV (pdf)
Sajal Lahiri, Professor, Distinguished Scholar and Vandeveer Chair

Office: Faner Hall 4130
Phone: 618/453-9472
Email: lahiri@siu.edu
Liliana Lefticariu, Associate Professor
Geology
Education
- B.Sc. 1989, University of Bucharest
- M.S. 2001, Northern Illinois University
- Ph.D. 2004, Northern Illinois University
CV: Download pdf
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Office: 301D Parkinson Lab
Phone: 618-453-7373
Fax: 618-453-7393
lefticariu@geo.siu.edu
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 GIS Analysis and Modeling, Water Resources Modeling and Management, Energy Geography, and Agricultural Land Use. His research methods involve geospatial artificial intelligence, social media data mining, and UAVs (drone).
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Email: ruopu.li@siu.edu
Phone: (618) 453-6038
Office: 4543 Faner Hall
The GeoFEW Research Lab
Scholar Profile
CV (pdf)
Zhi-Qing Lin, Professor

Phone: 618-650-2650
E-mail: 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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Phone: 618-650-5655
E-mail: adrmart@siue.edu
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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Office: Lesar Law Building 228
Phone: 618-453-8759
E-mail: mccubbin@siu.edu
Logan Park, Associate Professor
Environmental Resources and Policy - Forestry
Logan O. Park is the Associate Professor of Forest Recreation and Park Management in the Forestry Department of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He provides consultation to protected area managers, undergraduate and graduate instruction, and extension service. He has completed degrees in Environmental Chemistry (B.S., Furman University), in Natural Resources Planning - recreation management (M.S., The University of Vermont) and in Forestry - interdisciplinary studies in the sociology and ecology of outdoor recreation (Ph. D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University). While completing his doctoral studies, Logan was awarded a Burruss Fellowship. Previously, Logan was a Dow Chemistry Scholar.
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Office: Agriculture Building, Room 194-D
Phone: 618 | 453-7476
E-mail: logan.park@siu.edu
William Retzlaff, Professor

Phone: 618-650-2728
E-mail: wretzla@siue.edu
Charles Ruffner, Professor

Office: Agriculture Building, Room 194-C
Phone: 618 | 453-7469
E-mail: ruffner@siu.edu
Amir Sadeghpour, Assistant Professor
Environmental Resources and Policy - Plant, Soil and Agricultural Systems
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. He earned his Ph.D. from University of Massachusetts Amherst in Plant and Soil Sciences. Prior to moving to SIU, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Virginia Tech, and Cornell University.
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Phone: 618-453-1795
E-mail: amir.sadeghpour@siu.edu
Website: 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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Email: jschoof@siu.edu
Phone: (618) 453-6019
Office: 4524 Faner Hall
Scholar Profile
CV (pdf)
John Schoonover, Professor
Environmental Resources and Policy - Forestry
Jon Schoonover is a native of southern Illinois who grew up in Salem, IL. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) in 1999 and 2001, respectively. He then pursued a Ph.D. degree from the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University, AL, which he completed in 2005. Jon is currently employed as a Professor of Physical Hydrology in the Department of Forestry at SIUC.
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Office: Agriculture Building, Room 192-B
Phone: 618 | 453-7468
E-mail: jschoon@siu.edu
Sylvia Smith Thoms, Associate Professor
Environmental Resources and Policy - Animal Science
Dr. Sylvia Smith is a faculty member in the Department of Animal Science, Food and Nutrition in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Southern Illinois University (SIU). She received her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Smith teaches foodservice management classes at SIU. Her research includes farmers markets, farm to school programs, and consumer behavior concerning local food. Dr. Smith helped establish the Illinois Farmers Market Association. Her current research interests involve support of the local fermentation market, as well as sensory evaluation. She is a member of FoodWorks, the Illinois Farmers Market Association, Museum of Food and Drink, National Restaurant Association, and the Society of Sensory Professionals. She is published in academic journals and serves as a reviewer, as well.
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Phone: 618 | 536-7567
E-mail: ssmith8@siu.edu
Office: Quigley Hall, Room 209-B
Chris Theodarakis, Professor

Phone: 618-650-5235
E-mail: 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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Email: gxwang@siu.edu
Phone: (618) 453-6017
Office: 4442 Faner Hall
Scholar Profile
CV (pdf)
Karl Williard, Professor
Environmental Resources and Policy - Forestry
Karl W.J. Williard is a Professor of Forest Hydrology and Watershed Management in the Department of Forestry at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIU). He received a B.A. in Biology from Lehigh University, an M.S. in Environmental Pollution Control from Penn State University, and a Ph.D. in Forest Hydrology from Penn State University under the direction of David DeWalle. Dr. Williard teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Watershed Management and Hydrology at SIUC.
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Office: Agriculture Building, Room 192-A
Phone: 618 | 453-7478
E-mail: williard@siu.edu
Jianhong Xu, Associate Professor

Office: Neckers 387
Phone: 618-453.6561
E-mail: 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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Phone: 618-650-3302
E-mail: kyoon@siue.edu