Cara L. Cuite

Cara L. Cuite is an Associate Professor and Undergraduate Program Director in the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers University, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. She holds roles as Associate Extension Specialist and leads research on food security, risk communication, and basic needs insecurities among students. Her work includes collaborations with community partners across New Jersey and international risk communication training.

Education: Ph.D. in Psychology from Rutgers University (200X); B.S. in Psychology and Modern Languages from Union College (200X).

Research focuses on food security policy, disaster preparedness, and behavioral interventions to reduce household environmental impacts. She leads the Food Security Community Learning Table for the Rutgers Equity Alliance and serves on advisory boards for the NJ Food Democracy Collaborative and Meals on Wheels in Greater New Brunswick.

Key grants: National Science Foundation, USDA, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Recent work includes developing educator toolkits, assessing campus pantry barriers, and evaluating community seafood programs. She has published extensively on food insecurity, climate adaptation, and interdisciplinary health education.

Grants and collaborations highlight her role in advancing evidence-based interventions. Her team's reports on Rutgers student food insecurity (2020 and 2023) are foundational to institutional policy changes.