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Valerie Berseth
(she/her)
Assistant Professor (Practice)
Oregon Sea Grant Extension Specialist in Human Dimensions of Coastal Systems
Oregon State University
I am an environmental sociologist researching climate adaptation, coastal social-ecological systems, and conservation.
Research Interests
I am an environmental sociologist studying how people understand and manage the risks of human interventions into nature.
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My work is motivated by the urgent challenges facing humans and non-humans as climate change continues to accelerate ecosystem shifts and biodiversity loss. Climate adaptation requires confronting and re-imagining human relations to the environment.
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Novel genomic technologies are being proposed as climate solutions, but their deployment may also perpetuate environmental inequalities. My work critically engages with the changing meaning of "wildness" in the Anthropocene and seeks ways to develop transformative approaches to human-nature entanglements.
I conduct interdisciplinary research that spans multiple areas, including environmental politics, climate adaptation, and perceptions of risk related to genomic science applications in conservation and natural resource management.
News
May 2023
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Awarded FRQ-SC Postdoctoral Fellowship at Carleton University.
Project: "Adapting forests to climate change: What are the social and ecological dynamics of genomic technologies?"
March 2023
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Presentation: Berseth, V. (2023). A framework of anticipating risks, trade-offs and fostering resilience related to MPB outbreaks. Canadian Wood Fibre Centre Science Showcase 2023. Virtual. March 22, 2023.
January 2023
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New Publication in Environmental Sociology: Berseth, V. (2023). Should we adapt nature to climate change? Weighing the risks of selective breeding in Pacific salmon. Environmental Sociology, 9(1), 20-30.