Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability


Showing 1-10 of 12 Results

  • Sarah Fendrich

    Sarah Fendrich

    Ph.D. Student in Environment and Resources, admitted Autumn 2022
    Student Employee, Environmental Social Sciences

    BioSarah is interested in the design and evaluation of decision support systems for local and regional-scale climate adaptation. Her research aims to explore the social and cognitive processes through which decision support systems — both digital decision support tools and the activities of regional climate resilience networks — shape adaptation planning and implementation, organizational learning, and environmental outcomes. She is specifically interested in supporting more adaptive and integrated water resources management. Sarah’s current work focuses on better understanding the collaborative landscape of federal decision support activities using social network analysis, as well as the decision-making and planning processes of local stormwater managers in coastal communities across the U.S. using a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, interviews, and document analysis.

    Sarah holds a BA in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to coming to Stanford, she worked on health care innovation and equity research at the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit and the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics.

  • Marisa MacAskill

    Marisa MacAskill

    Director of Finance & Operations, Environmental Social Sciences

    BioMarisa MacAskill is the Director of Finance & Operations for the department of Environmental Social Sciences at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability (SDSS). Marisa joined the SDSS in June 2023 as the Assistant Director of Finance & Operations of the, then, Social Sciences Division. Previously she served as the Program Manager for Finance & Research Administration and Faculty & Academic Affairs for Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), where she also held the role as HAI's inaugural Education Program Manager. Marisa started her career at Stanford in 2017 as the Fellowships and Student Programs Manager for the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) where she delivered academic programming, managed admissions, and supported research and learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows. Prior to Stanford, Marisa was the Assistant Director for Administration and Programming at the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs at Occidental College where she worked on strategic initiatives, international programming, and student/faculty grants. Marisa also served as a seasonal reader for Oxy’s Admissions Office and as a strategic planning analyst for the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.

  • Ryan OConnor

    Ryan OConnor

    Ph.D. Student in Environment and Resources, admitted Autumn 2021
    Stanford Student Employee, Environmental Social Sciences

    BioRyan O’Connor is an Ocean Social Ecologist and current PhD Candidate in the Oceans Department, Environmental Behavioral Sciences Department, and the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program for the Environment and Resources (E-IPER) at Stanford University. Ryan’s research is based in Pacific Grove, CA and Baja California, Mexico, and focuses broadly on understanding how human societies interact with their local marine environments. His research employs an innovative blend of quantitative ecology and qualitative social science methods to elevate and highlight community voices and local ecological knowledge in ocean conservation. By understanding how a person's relationship to the ocean, personal history with nature, and social context shape individual perceptions of the marine environment, Ryan seeks to inform the co-production of sustainable ocean management programs. Ryan also teaches courses on human-ocean interaction, the history of the oceans, and ocean governance at Stanford and has supervised undergraduates on projects ranging from computer vision machine learning models for marine mammal monitoring to expert interviews of marine protected area officials. Ryan is also an Ethics in Society Fellow with the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society at Stanford. Learn more at https://ryanoconnorresearch.weebly.com

    Prior to his work at Stanford, Ryan served as an officer in the US Navy working on international logistics policy research and development. Ryan most recently worked as an environmental policy consultant and geospatial project manager for AECOM Technical Services, helping to administer the National Flood Insurance Program, leading multi-hazard mapping, policy analysis, and legislative affairs efforts in support of disaster and climate resilience across the United States.

    Ryan earned his Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia in 2017.

  • Malinda Pola

    Malinda Pola

    Administrative Associate 3, Environmental Social Sciences

    BioMalinda Pola joined the Stanford University Doerr School of Sustainability in December 2022 as an Administrative Associate for the Department of Earth System Science (ESS) and is currently an Administrative Associate for Environmental Social Sciences (ESoS). Malinda started her career at Stanford in 2014 as a Faculty Assistant at the Graduate School of Business where she assisted faculty with research needs, supported classes, and processed financial transactions for 8 years.

    Malinda holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Business from San José State University.