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Ph.D. Students:
Rosemary Gay – I began graduate studies in Fall 2020 in the Sociocultural Anthropology program with a focus on food, agriculture, and development in the Americas. I am particularly interested in science studies and “studying sideways,” an ethnographic approach that seeks to understand people with backgrounds similar to the researcher. In my case, this means engaging with agricultural mediators, specifically those working within the cooperative extension model of development. The geographic regions where I work include the U.S. South and South America. I expect to graduate in May 2026.
Bevin Hardy – Through my anthropological coursework, work with a newly forming food cooperative, and position as market manager at a local farmers market, I have a growing interest in food systems. Food systems have varying scales, but I am most interested in the small farmers and their role in these spaces. I am also intrigued by their interactions and relationship with the environment and the broader political food system. I expect to graduate in Spring 2026/2027.
Kristen Viera – I graduated in May 2023 with my Master’s in Ecology, under Dr. O’Connell’s advising. I look forward to continuing my socio-ecological studies and research in the Ph.D. program. My thesis research explored NC-based environmental organizations’ framing of and investment in environmental justice as well as challenges and potential conflicts of interest that may impede their ability to successfully prioritize and strategically engage in environmental justice. I am a researcher with SECR lab and EJ Clinic.
Former Students
Carlos Alfonso – Honors Thesis: Revolutionizing Race: An analysis of 1970’s Cuban Race Relations (BA 2021), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Shawn Griffith – Harvey’s Homeless: Disaster through the Eyes of the Street (MsC 2020), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Estefania Miranda – Honors Thesis: Exploring Shifting Perceptions of Disaster Relief and Aid Organizations After Hurricane Harvey: A Mixed-Methods Approach (BA 2019), the University of Tennessee Knoxville
Free image of a hand sculpture supporting a tree is from Unsplash and credited to Neil Thomas
Caela O'Connell 