Chris Duvall

Chris Duvall serves as Professor and Department Associate Chair in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of New Mexico, appointed in 2008 with academic roots in biogeography and human-environment interactions.

He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, forming the foundation for his interdisciplinary research spanning cultural and historical ecology, African diaspora studies, and science studies.

Duvall's scholarly focus centers on human-plant relationships across Africa and the United States, examining how social constructions of race influence environmental resource access, illicit drug commerce dynamics, and the ecological significance of food systems. His work synthesizes biogeographical methods with critical race theory and historical analysis, prominently featured in publications like Cannabis (2015) and The African Roots of Marijuana (2019), which explore medicinal plant use among enslaved populations in western Central Africa and its global diaspora trajectories.