Peter S. Alagona

Peter S. Alagona is Professor and Director of IPEES at the University of California, Santa Barbara's Department of Environmental Studies, where he has held a prominent faculty position since 2009, leading interdisciplinary research and education initiatives.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in History, University of California, Los Angeles (2006)
• M.A. in History, University of California, Los Angeles (2003)
• M.A. in Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara (2000)
• B.A. in History, Northwestern University (1995)

He completed postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University (2006-2008) and Stanford University (2008-2009), establishing expertise in environmental history and conservation science. His research critically examines human-wildlife coexistence, endangered species management, and ecological politics across North America, with special focus on California's environmental transformations. He develops innovative interdisciplinary methods to analyze land use conflicts and foster sustainable human-nature relationships through historical and geographical lenses.

His major recognitions include:

• National Science Foundation CAREER grant for foundational research
• Harold J. Plous Award as UCSB College of Letters and Science's most outstanding junior faculty member

As Director of IPEES, Alagona oversees the Interdisciplinary Program in Environmental Evolutionary Sciences, securing research funding and mentoring graduate students. He founded The California Grizzly Research Network to investigate historical human-grizzly bear dynamics and future coexistence strategies, while teaching core courses including ENV S 1 (Introduction to Environmental Studies), ENV S 108W (People and Wildlife), and the IPEES Core Seminar on interdisciplinary environmental research.