Kelli Larson

Kelli Larson earned a PhD in Resource Geography from Oregon State University in 2005, the same year she joined Arizona State University. She is a Professor in both the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning as well as the School of Sustainability. Larson has served as an investigator on several National Science Foundation projects, including as the Lead Social Scientist for the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) project. She is the Director of the Phoenix Area Social Survey, which is central to CAP’s long-term data collection initiatives. As a human-environment geographer, Larson’s research examines social-ecological system dynamics in urban landscapes and ecosystems.

While Larson’s scholarship formerly centered on human dimensions of sustainable water governance, her current research centers on: 1) residential and urban land design and management, including the implications for environmental conservation and landscape sustainability; 2) human-nature interactions, including residents’ experiences, attitudes, and behaviors toward wildlife and (native) vegetation; and 3) public perceptions regarding the ecosystem services and disservices derived from local to regional landscapes, inclusive of both natural and build (i.e., green and grey) infrastructure. Her approach involves synthesizing disparate literatures and employing mixed methods to produce interdisciplinary knowledge that reveals the social salience and feasibility of interventions that support biological conservation, as well as landscape and urban sustainability.

Larson mentors undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs. She has taught several courses including human and social aspects of sustainability, environmental management and planning, and research methods and proposal writing. Currently, her teaching centers on survey methods and undergraduate research training. As the Founding Director of the Sustainability Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program, she is passionately committed to providing undergraduate students with research experiences and mentoring them to enhance their analytical and professional skills.