I am a faculty member in the Keough School of Global Affairs, Minor in Sustainability, Minor in International Development Studies, Environmental Change Initiative (ECI), and Environmental Humanities Initiative (EHUM). I mainly advise students in these programs, but I am very open to working with passionate students in other departments and programs.
If you’re interested in working with me, send an email with a brief description of your interest.
Current Opportunities
Research Assistantship
For Master’s students, limited funding is available to hire 1-2 research assistant on topics including climate change, natural hazards, energy and sustainability. Please check out my research webpages to get more details.
For Undergraduate students, email me and tell me about your research interests and experience. I commonly supervise student projects through Minor in Sustainability and Minor in International Development Studies programs. There are many available campus-wide funding such as Kellogg/Kroc Undergraduate Research Grants. Contact me early so we can work on project ideas and apply for funding.
Teaching Assistantship & Quantitative Tutor
I constantly search for paid teaching assistant and quantitative tutor for my courses in Microeconomics and Quantitative Method. Email me if you are interested. Requirements: 1) Master or senior undergraduate students who have taken the course with a grade of A (top 10% preferred); or 2) PhD students in Economics or related subjects.
Postdoc Fellowship
The Environmental Change Initiative is currently offering postdoc fellowship positions. Please email me if you are interested. Link: https://environmentalchange.nd.edu/opportunities/postdoctoral-fellowships/
International Students
I supervise international undergraduate and Master’s students through the iSURE program. See details here and other opportunities at NDI’s Global Engagement Program.
Postdoctoral and Graduate Students
Xiantao Fan (2022.6 – present)
Role: Co-mentor
Research Project: Wind Energy Harvesting based on Flow-induced Vibrations and Community Acceptance
Working in Progress: https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022AGUFM.U35C0533F/abstract
Dr. Xiantao Fan joined ND as a postdoctoral research associate in June 2022 under the supervision of Prof. Jianxun Wang and Prof. Sisi Meng. His research at ND is funded by ND-ECI, ND-Energy and CCI Postdoctoral Fellowships. He will design original renewable energy harvester based on fluid solid interaction and evaluate the impacts of the harvester on environment and society through a fully differential framework. He expects to prosper the low-carbon policy and technology locally, nationally, and internationally through this multidisciplinary project.
Valena McEwen (2024.1 – present)
Role: Research Supervisor
Research Project: Urban resilience, climate change, vulnerability, adaptation behaviors
Valena McEwen recently graduated with a Master of Global Affairs (Sustainable Development concentration) from the University of Notre Dame’s Keough School. Her research interests lie at the intersection of climate change and environmental sustainability, especially shaping policy and communications to improve urban resilience against climate disasters. She is working closely with the city of Freetown, Sierra Leone, on her current research, which examines individual-level extreme heat adaptation strategies in Freetown.
Rahman Sulaimanov (2024.1 – present)
Role: Research Supervisor
Research Project: Hydraulic fracturing, environmental justice, spatial analysis
Rahman Sulaimanov specializes in environmental politics, energy transition, natural resource management, water policy, and sustainability/ESG standards. He recently earned a Master’s in Global Affairs with a focus on Sustainable Development from the University of Notre Dame. Currently, he is developing his research agenda on hydraulic fracturing and its environmental justice implications in Texas. Previously, he worked at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs in Norway and at Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation in Kyrgyzstan.
Chang Liu (2020.3 – present)
Role: External Research Advisor
Research Project: Household preferences, risk perception, climate change and sea level rise risks.
Joint Publication: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4457486
Chang is currently a Ph.D. student at Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She earned her master degree in applied economics (Taxation) from Shanghai University of finance and Economics in 2021. She is interested in environmental economics, aiming to using empirical tools to understand the human impacts caused by climate change.
Cynthia Mene, MGA Class of 2023 (2022.5 – 2023.5)
Role: Master Thesis Advisor
Master Thesis: Pathways to Financial Inclusion: Understanding Financial Well-Being in Middle- and Low-Income Countries in the Age of COVID-19.
First Position: Consultant, International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank
Zhanaiym Kozybay MGA Class of 2021 (2021.9 – 2022.7)
Role: Research Supervisor
Research Project: Wind farm, energy policy, and climate change adaptation.
Joint publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wds.2024.100129
First Position: Researcher, Global Energy Monitor
Samuel Morris MGA Class of 2021 (2021.1 – 2021.6)
Role: Research Supervisor
Research Project: Political preferences, climate change adaptation and action.
First Position: Program Analyst, Evaluation and Inspections Divisions, U.S. Department of Justice in the Office of the Inspector General.
Undergraduate Students
- Lauren Schnabel, Environmental Sciences, Class of 2024, ND
- Full-time research advisor, 05/2024 – present
- Isabela Rascon, International Economics, Class of 2024, ND
- Advisor, Minor in Sustainability Capstone Project, 01/2022 – present
- Zeng Wang, Business Analytics and Economics, Class of 2024, ND
- Advisor, Minor in Sustainability Capstone Project, 01/2022 – 05/2024
- Izzy Cheng, Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, Class of 2023, ND
- Advisor, Hesburgh Program of Public Service Capstone Project, 02/2023 – 05/2023
- Kayla Leady, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Class of 2024, ND
- Faculty Advisor, Nanovic Undergraduate Research Grant, 01/2023 – 04/2023
- Timothy Du, Economics and Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, Class of 2025, ND
- Research Supervisor, 05/2022 – 03/2023
- Genesee L. Kortick, Environmental Science, Class of 2022, ND
- Senior Thesis Co-Advisor, 12/2021 – 05/2022
- Changxin Xiang, School of Business, Class of 2023, Nanjing University, China
- External Research Advisor, iSURE program, 07/2022 – 01/2023