Emily Hite

Emily Hite, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Saint Louis University's College of Arts and Sciences. Her work bridges climate governance, ethnographic research, and Indigenous rights, with fieldwork in Costa Rica, Latin America, and global climate meetings.

• Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder
• M.S. in Environmental Studies, Florida International University
• B.S. in Environmental Science, Drexel University

Her research focuses on hydropower project governance, UNFCCC COP event ethnography, and river basin management, particularly the Colorado and Mississippi Rivers. She examines how Indigenous communities navigate climate policy through mixed-methods fieldwork and policy analysis.

Recent publications explore hydropower-climate equity tensions, volcanic ecosystem formation, and COP negotiation dynamics. Her work appears in Journal of Political Ecology, Climate & Development, and Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research.

• Graduate Instructor Appreciation Award (2021)
• Haskell-Houghtelin Scholarship (2017)
• Willena D. Cartwright Scholarship (2017)

Hite collaborates with Brörán peoples in Térraba territory and contributes to global climate governance analysis through fieldwork and conference participation.