Bio

Jessica Tran is a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota studying Natural Resources Science and Management. As an environmental social scientist using participatory methods, her research and teaching focus on environmental justice, Indigenous natural resource management, sense of place, and the social impacts of climate change. Along her career, she has fed anacondas and counted seals along the Alaskan coast.

Jessica is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and 500 Women Scientists' Fellowship for the Future.

Academic Background

University of Minnesota

Degree Program: Ph.D. Natural Resource Science and Management (expected June 2026)

Dissertation: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Environmental Justice Activism and Community Engaged Research at the Tar Creek Superfund Site in Ottawa County, Oklahoma

Advisor: Dr. Mae Davenport

Committee: Dr. Eli Sagor, Dr. Fayola Jacobs, & Martin Lively, J.D.

Stony Brook University

Degree Program: B.A. Environmental Design, Policy, and Plannning

Minor: Coastal Environmental Studies

Honors Thesis: Should I Stay or Should I Go: A literature review analyzing obstacles and best practices in managed retreat implementation

Advisor: Dr. Donovan Finn