Kate Nelson

Co-Director, Associate Professor

Kate Nelson is an Associate Professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. She received her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University and served as an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences at Kansas State University (2018-2024) before joining the University of Missouri. Kate’s research uses mixed methods and large-scale quantitative spatial analysis to examine issues related to sustainable development of communities and agricultural landscapes. She received an NSF Early CAREER award in 2024 for examining the connections between crop diversity and resilience of rural farm communities. Recent projects have examined flood mitigation program outcomes, secondary impacts of irrigation adaptations on community resilience, and collective action for watershed management.

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