Patrick Christie

Patrick Christie is a Professor at the University of Washington's School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) with a joint appointment in the Jackson School of International Studies. His research focuses at the intersection of environmental justice, sustainability science, and marine conservation, emphasizing Indigenous leadership in environmental recovery across the Salish Sea and Great Lakes regions.

His research interests center on justice-centered environmental governance, with particular focus on Indigenous-led environmental recovery, petroleum infrastructure resistance movements, and tribal rights in marine resource management. Christie employs participatory action research and digital storytelling methods, working closely with communities like the Tulalip Tribes and Puyallup Chief Leschi Schools to develop collaborative approaches that integrate local, Indigenous, and scientific knowledge systems. His work challenges technocratic approaches to conservation by centering social justice and equity.

Christie's recent publications reveal a strong trend toward transdisciplinary collaboration and decolonizing conservation practices, with increasing emphasis on Indigenous knowledge systems, social justice frameworks, and participatory governance models. His work spans marine protected areas, climate adaptation, and coastal community resilience, with significant focus on the Philippines, Indonesia, and North American Indigenous communities.

• Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation

Christie actively mentors students through SMEA capstone projects and co-teaches specialized courses like Environmental Justice and Political Ecology Field Course and Environmental Justice, Social Movements, and Collaboration in the Time of Climate Change. His research is supported by collaborations with organizations including Future Earth, Painel Mar (Brazil), and tribal governments. He has provided technical advice to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, World Bank, and USAID.

Christie leads projects using participatory research methods to engage tribal communities in environmental recovery efforts, including work with the Tulalip Tribes on coastal squeeze issues and with Winona LaDuke on sustainable agriculture alternatives to petroleum-based economies. He co-hosts workshops exploring human dimensions of environmental change and is developing learning networks to foster collaborative ocean governance.