Clare Sullivan

I am a PhD candidate in the Geography Department. My research focuses on agricultural change and drivers of deforestation, especially cattle ranching, in Colombia and exploring the effectiveness of different policy mechanisms on supply chain management and sustainable land use. My work explores the potential to meet both production and conservation goals in agricultural landscapes. I am leading the Global Land Use and Environment Lab’s work in Colombia and Peru for the USAID grant Amazonia Connect.

Prior to starting my PhD, I worked as the Deputy Research Director of Columbia University’s Agriculture and Food Security Center. There, I worked with Dr. Cheryl Palm and led socioeconomic and biophysical research to study the impacts of agricultural systems on environment and livelihoods across Sub-Saharan Africa. I have worked on projects with the National Park Service in the US, the CGIAR system in the Peruvian Andes and Amazon Basin, UNEP in Haiti, and World Vision in Bangladesh.

I also completed a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, with a concentration in environmental science and policy, and a Bachelors degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

I can often be found baking bread, printmaking, cross country skiing or doing just about anything outside.