Susan Stonich

Susan Stonich is a Professor Emerita in the Department of Anthropology and affiliated with the Environmental Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She holds a PhD from the University of Kentucky and specializes in sociocultural anthropology with a focus on ecological, economic, and developmental issues. Her work integrates political ecology and human ecology to study environmental security, livelihood resilience, and climate change impacts in coastal zones, particularly in Central America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia.

Dr. Stonich teaches courses on global environmental challenges, including human dimensions of disasters, international tourism's environmental impacts, and food security. She co-directs a NOAA-funded project on resilience in the Mesoamerican Reef System and collaborates with organizations like the National Shellfisheries Association to advance sustainable aquaculture practices. Her research emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to address socio-environmental linkages, vulnerability analysis, and equitable resource management.

She has served on high-level advisory committees, including the National Academies of Science and the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications, aiming to enhance community-based conservation and disaster preparedness strategies.