Luke Sanford

Luke Sanford is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy and Governance at Yale School of the Environment with a secondary appointment in Political Science. His research examines how political institutions shape environmental policymaking, particularly the relationship between public preferences and policy outcomes, alongside spatial and temporal distributional impacts of natural resource decisions.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Political Science and International Affairs from University of California San Diego
• M.A. in Political Science from University of California San Diego, School of Global Policy and Strategy
• B.A. in Politics from Whitman College

Sanford specializes in integrating digital data methodologies—including satellite imagery and text analysis—with environmental policy research. His work bridges political institutions, remote sensing, machine learning, economic development, and causal inference to measure policy preferences and outcomes. He develops innovative techniques for analyzing deforestation patterns, air pollution disparities, and carbon market effectiveness.

Recent publications reveal a pronounced shift toward data-intensive environmental governance research, with increasing emphasis on satellite-driven spatial analysis and machine learning applications. His 2021-2025 work demonstrates methodological innovation in causal inference using remote sensing, particularly in deforestation monitoring, air pollution justice, and jurisdictional climate initiatives like REDD+.

Sanford is affiliated with The Forest School and Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, teaching courses including ENV 821a Environmental Policymaking: From Local to Global. He will be on leave during Spring 2026 semester.