I am a PhD candidate in Forest Resources & Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech and a PhD Fellow with CIFOR-ICRAF. I focus on agroforestry, natural resource management, and tree-based livelihoods in humanitarian landscapes.

My doctoral work in Uganda's Imvepi Refugee Settlement explores how tree- and forest-based resources can support refugee/host livelihoods and environmental restoration amid displacement, climate change, and humanitarian aid cuts. I use mixed methods, including participatory mapping, household interviews, and geospatial analysis, to understand forest resource access, preferences, ethnobotany, and social dynamics. 

My research has been supported by the U.S. Fulbright Program, the National Science Foundation Human Environmental and Geographic Sciences (DDRI-HEGS) program, and Virginia Tech's Global Change Center and Center for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention

I am currently seeking research and postdoctoral roles (mid-2026)

Research areas: agroforestry • human dimensions of natural resource conservation • participatory mapping • humanitarian forestry