Prospective students are welcome to e-mail Dr. Huff with questions about available funding and are encouraged to pursue independent funding opportunities. Please see the Department of Forestry's graduate study page for more information about the degree program. Undergraduate hourly work, research internships, and independent studies are often available.
Incoming Ph.D. students can apply for the NSF graduate research fellowship, the USDA Competitive Grants Program, the Ford Foundation fellowship, the AAUW Career Development grant, NOAA's Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program, or the ORISE graduate fellowship.
Incoming post-doctoral scholars may be eligible to apply for an NSF SBE fellowship.
Graduate students interested in community-based participatory research may be able to fund their fieldwork here.
Incoming Ph.D. students can apply for the NSF graduate research fellowship, the USDA Competitive Grants Program, the Ford Foundation fellowship, the AAUW Career Development grant, NOAA's Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program, or the ORISE graduate fellowship.
Incoming post-doctoral scholars may be eligible to apply for an NSF SBE fellowship.
Graduate students interested in community-based participatory research may be able to fund their fieldwork here.
THE TEAM
Current Lab Members
Dr. Emily S. Huff
Emily is an Associate Professor in Natural Resource Social Science at Michigan State University. Emily's research focuses on stakeholder engagement, governance, private landowner behavior, and social-ecological systems. Emily has a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Music Composition from Brandeis University, an M.S. in Natural Resource Science and Management from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in Social Science and Forestry from the University of Maine. Emily is currently serving as the President of the Michigan Forest Association and as Co-Editor in Chief of the academic journal Society & Natural Resources. Emily is also a member of the Women Owning Woodlands network. She lives with her family in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, stewarding 170 acres of forest land.
Antoinette Shirley, PhD Student, 2018 - present
Antoinette is a doctoral candidate at Michigan State University (MSU) in the Department of Forestry. She is of Mexican, Navajo, and white descent. Prior to attending MSU, Antoinette received a Bachelor’s of Science in Zoology from Humboldt State University. Her research and interests are in Indigenous natural resource management, having built relationships with numerous tribes, including her own tribe of the Navajo Nation, on various natural resource management projects. During this time she has focused on several culturally significant species such as Golden Eagle populations in the Southwest and White Tailed Deer in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Her PhD dissertation focuses on these relationships and understanding Indigenous natural resource management and how it might integrate and work with Western practices. She is also an active leader at MSU in several organizations focused on Indigenous students on campus, and has participated in various assistantships and internships, including the Yale University Environmental Fellows Program, the Wildlife Society’s Native American Research Assistantship Program, and the Michigan State University Transdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship Program.
Parker Hopkins, M.S. Student, 2023 - present
Parker is a master's student working on agroforestry in lake states and land management metrics and outcomes. He's joining the Human Dimensions of Forestry Lab with a strong background in land management, policy, and stakeholder interaction and a passion for understanding the complex relationship between people and forests. Parker has a solid academic foundation in interdisciplinary thinking with a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and Atmospheric/Oceanic Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Parker also brings experience as a Data Scientist, Biologist, Project Manager, and Forestry Technician at the National Park Service and US Forest Service in the intermountain states of Utah and Colorado. Parker strives to contribute to sustainable, community-driven forest management practices and is passionate about bridging research and practice. Outside of his studies, he enjoys traveling in his Subaru and adding to his iNaturalist observations list.
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Amanda Curton, Laboratory Manager, 2022 - present
Amanda is the laboratory manager for the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources lab. She has a B.S. in Environmental Biology and Zoology from Michigan State University, and is passionate about animal conservation, environmental sustainability, and responsible natural resource use and protection. She is the President of the Bat Association of MSU (2021-present), the Social Media Coordinator for the Great Lakes Biochar Network through MSU extension, and is managing the Forest to Mi Faucet grant with the Michigan Forest Association. In her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time reading classic literature, chasing her three cats, and exploring the outdoors.
Ichchha Thapa, PhD Student, 2022 - present
Ichchha Thapa is a doctoral student in the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University. She is originally from Nepal. Before moving to MSU, Ichchha completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Environmental Sciences from Tribhuvan University in Nepal and second MS in Earth and Quaternary Sciences from Indiana State University in the US. She had prior research experiences focused on quantitative forest ecology using ecological and dendrochronological tools. She has over four years of work experiences on natural resource management projects tied to climate adaptation in the Himalayas. Following her interests in building multidisciplinary experiences related to natural resource management, she is working on integrating the human and economic dimensions within the scope of climate smart forests. Her PhD dissertation research focuses on modeling decision making and sustainable sourcing of wood products for prospective mass timber manufacturing in Michigan. Ichchha is currently a fellow of Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center Research Assistantship and serving as the Secretary of the Nepalese Student Association Michigan State University. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, volunteering, gardening, and spending time with her cat, Wombat.
Hailey Becker, PhD Student, 2023 - present
Hailey is a joint doctoral candidate in forestry and MFA student in art, art history, and design. She is interested in combining art and scientific research as a more holistic way to share information while taking the biases and perceptions of humans into account. Hailey has a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from The University of Alabama and an MS in Materials Science from Michigan State University. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing and teaching her cat, Gert, new tricks.
Andrea Jerlecki, Undergraduate Student, 2022 - present
Jack Desautel, Undergraduate Student, 2024 - present
Karleigh Duffield, Undergraduate Student, 2024 - present
Eric Heidelberg, Undergraduate Student, 2024 - present
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Previous Lab Members
Graduate Students
Naresh Khanal, M.S. Student, 2022 - 2023
Ellie Schiappa, M.S. Student, 2021 - 2023
Shivan Gc, PhD Student, 2016 - 2023
Alex White, PhD Student, 2018 - 2022
Benjamin Schram, M.S. Student, Graduated 2019
Emily Huizenga, M.S. Student, 2017 - 2019
Erika Kraus, PhD Student, 2013 - 2019
Kezia Salosso, M.S Student, Graduated 2018
Special Mentions
Dr. Kamla Gaur, Visiting Research Associate, India/UK, 2017 - 2021
Shriya Kethriddy, Okemos High School Intern, 2021
Todd Chung and Crystal Gomez, Summer Research Opportunity Program, Summer 2020
Sally Geislar, Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar, 2018 - 2019
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Undergraduate Students
Katherine Nocks, 2022 - 2024
Brynna Wesley, 2022 - 2023
Corinthian Matorana, 2022 - 2023
Iris Paul, 2022 - 2023
Jack Timmer, 2021 - 2022
Amy Maclaren, 2020 - 2022
Erin Budzyn, 2019 - 2022
Lauren Lomonoco, 2018 - 2020
Mia White, 2019
Thomas Charney, 2019
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