Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Showing 1-12 of 12 Results
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Alison W. Bowers
Research Associate, Environmental Social Sciences
BioAlison Bowers holds a PhD in Educational Research and Evaluation from Virginia Tech. Her background and experience include working as a field-based environmental educator with the Cooperative Extension Service and at the national scale with nonprofit conservation and education organizations. Alison has an EdS in Early Childhood Special Education from George Washington University, a MFRC with a Certificate in Environmental Education and Communication from the University of Florida, and a BA in Psychology from the University of South Carolina. Her research focus is on research design and process and she is particularly interested in research reviews, systematic reviews, and grounded theory methodology.
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Marisa MacAskill
Director of Finance & Operations, Environmental Social Sciences
BioMarisa MacAskill is the Director of Finance & Operations for the department of Environmental Social Sciences (ESoS) 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.
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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. -
Daniel Verdi
Ph.D. Student in Education, admitted Autumn 2025
Research Assistant, Environmental Social SciencesBioMy research centers on science of science, human-centered AI, and social media, applying computational methods to explore how AI and scientific knowledge are evaluated, communicated, and governed. Methodologically, my main tools are large-scale data, natural language processing, and network science.
I’m currently interested in three interconnected themes: how AI and digital technologies are changing research practices; how science is developed and shared across scientific fields and regions; and how AI is impacting society more broadly.
Beyond conducting research, I am also passionate about designing tools and events to put science in conversation with communities and create opportunities for marginalized students to engage with research and technology. I’m especially curious about implementing ways to improve digital and AI literacies, as well as how to use AI and other technologies in informal education.
Before Stanford, I graduated from the University of Richmond as a Richmond Scholar, the institution's most prestigious merit scholarship. I have conducted research at universities such as Carnegie Mellon, USC, and University of Copenhagen, and interned at Amazon Alexa AI. I’m also proud to have co-founded one of Brazil's largest high school science fairs, the Brazilian Fair of Young Scientists (FBJC), which has engaged over 2,000 participants and received over 1M website visits.
