معرفی
Leah Bremer is the Associate Director for the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience and a Faculty Specialist with the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO) and Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) at the University of Hawaii. She is also cooperating faculty with the Department of Geography and Environment, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, and the Biocultural Initiative of the Pacific. Additionally, she maintains affiliations with the Gund Institute for Environment and serves as a research fellow with Fundación Cordillera Tropical in Ecuador.
Education
- Ph.D., Geography, University of California at Santa Barbara – San Diego State University
- M.S., Conservation Biology, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand-Macquarie University, Australia
- B.A., Psychology (Spanish minor), Northwestern University
Research Focus
Dr. Bremer's research examines policies and strategies for sustainable land/water management, emphasizing cultural, socio-economic, hydrologic, and ecological co-benefits. Her interdisciplinary work spans community-based agroforestry, groundwater-dependent ecosystems, and ecosystem compensation mechanisms like water funds and Payments for Ecosystem Services. Key themes include equity in environmental programs, climate adaptation, and biocultural approaches to resource management.
Publication Trends
Her recent articles (2021-2023) demonstrate a strong focus on nature-based solutions, watershed governance, and environmental justice. Common themes include: hydrological modeling for decision-making, equity in payment-for-ecosystem-services programs, climate impacts on island ecosystems, and community-centered conservation. Geographically, her work emphasizes Hawaiʻi and Latin American contexts, with methodologies ranging from ecological field studies to socio-economic analyses.
Grants & Projects
Dr. Bremer leads significant research initiatives including:
- Hawaiʻi Community Foundation (2023-2028): Linking water management needs with UH educational pathways (PI)
- NOAA CIROH (2023-2026): Equitable nature-based flood solutions (PI)
- USGS (2022-2024): Land-sea systems in American Samoa (PI)
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (2022-2025): Flood mitigation through invasive species control (Co-I)
- Sea Grant (2022-2024): Climate-resilient agroforestry (PI)
Collaborations
She coordinates with diverse teams including The Nature Conservancy, Fundación Cordillera Tropical, and the Gund Institute, focusing on ridge-to-reef conservation, community-based restoration, and interdisciplinary watershed management across Pacific and Andean regions.
