Wendy R. Eisner

Wendy R. Eisner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Cincinnati, with affiliate appointments in the Environmental Studies Program and Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She has held academic positions at multiple institutions including The Ohio State University, University of Alaska Anchorage, and University of Utrecht. Dr. Eisner serves as Editor of Polar Geography and as Graduate Program Director for the Department of Geography at the University of Cincinnati.

Dr. Eisner earned her Doctor of Science in Geography from the University of Utrecht (1999), Doctorandus in Pre and Protohistory from the University of Amsterdam (1984), Kandidaats (M.A.) in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Leiden (1984), and Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Barnard College, Columbia University (1975).

Her research focuses on Arctic system science, specifically examining paleoecology and paleoclimatology through the lens of both scientific and Indigenous knowledge systems. Dr. Eisner's work integrates traditional Iñupiat knowledge with Western scientific approaches to understand landscape evolution, climate change impacts, and human-environment interactions in the Arctic. Her research spans multiple disciplines including environmental science, geography, anthropology, and gender studies, with particular attention to how indigenous communities perceive and respond to environmental change.

Dr. Eisner's recent publication portfolio demonstrates a strong emphasis on integrating Indigenous Knowledge with climate and geomorphic studies in Arctic Alaska, particularly through GIS applications and community-based research approaches. Her work increasingly focuses on documenting environmental, cultural, and social changes as observed by Iñupiat elders over their lifetimes, creating valuable cross-generational knowledge records.

• Best of Show, Baraga County Fair, Baraga Michigan Adult Embroidery blue ribbon (2010)

Dr. Eisner has secured numerous significant research grants, primarily from the National Science Foundation, totaling over $2.5 million as Principal Investigator or Co-PI. Her major projects include "Connecting Indigenous Knowledge to Landscape Process Research" (NSF-BCS-0548846, $249,000), "Advanced End-to-End Cyberinfrastructure Installation" for the Barrow Global Climate Change Research Facility (ARC-0641623, $822,340), and "Changes in Lake Dynamics on the Arctic Coastal Plain" (ARC-0713813, $378,618). She has also served on the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation panel for Geosciences.

Dr. Eisner leads research teams focused on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska, working collaboratively with Alaskan Native elders and communities. Her projects often involve interdisciplinary teams of geographers, environmental scientists, anthropologists, and indigenous knowledge holders to document landscape changes and develop integrated knowledge systems for understanding Arctic environmental dynamics.