Kelly Kay

Kelly Kay is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles, and affiliated with the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Her research focuses on the political economy of the environment, nature/society geographies, and land use in North America, with projects examining financialized timberland ownership, just transitions in climate policy, and Indigenous water rights. She has published in top journals such as Nature Climate Change and Annals of the American Association of Geographers.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Geography from Clark University

Research Interests: Kelly Kay’s work interrogates the intersections of capitalism, environmental governance, and socioecological transitions. Her current book project, Landscapes of Finance: Time, Timber, and the Fate of US Forest-Dependent Communities, analyzes rural life transformations under investor-driven timberland ownership through ethnographic and archival methods. She also explores just transitions in Los Angeles’ Green New Deal and post-plantation water struggles in Hawaii.

Scientific Awards:

• Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award

Advising and Collaborations: Kelly advises graduate students at UCLA and collaborates with researchers like Andrea Furnaro, Alida Cantor, and Chris Knudson on projects related to climate justice and land rights. Her work bridges critical geography, environmental policy, and Indigenous activism.