J. Nicolas Hernandez-Aguilera

Dr. J. Nicolas Hernandez-Aguilera is a Lecturer and Associate Research Scientist at the Yale School of the Environment, specializing in community sensing, climate services, and sustainable food systems for rural communities in the Global South. His interdisciplinary work bridges local knowledge with technological innovation to develop scalable frameworks for climate risk management and biodiversity conservation in tropical agriculture.

• Education: Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University, Master in Public Administration (University of Pittsburgh), and B.A./M.Sc. in Economics (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia)

His research focuses on integrating economic and ecological models to support smallholder farmers through community-sensing frameworks, shade-grown coffee systems, and gamified climate risk tools. Publications in Nature Sustainability, Ecological Economics, and Games highlight his work on alternative business models, soil health impacts on coffee quality, and experiential learning methodologies.

Scientific Awards:

• J. William Fulbright Scholar

At Yale, he teaches ENV 639: Food Systems and Climate Services. His prior roles include a postdoctoral fellowship at the Columbia Climate School and economic modeling work at Colombia's Central Bank. He actively collaborates with local organizations and students in fieldwork-driven research.