About me
I grew up on Haudenosaunee land, now commonly known as the Adirondacks in Upstate New York. As a child, I was in constant awe and appreciation of my surroundings. This fascination helped inspire a recently rediscovered 5th-grade essay, "My Future as an Atmospheric Scientist." Fast forward 20 years to 2014, and I'd be leaving my job in marketing and operations to return to my interests in climate science. This lifelong curiosity has influenced my desire to research the lived experience of climate variability and climate change adaptation programs in rural mountain communities.
I'm currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Connecticut, and I live in Vermont. When I'm not working, I'm skiing, hiking, mountain biking (poorly), cooking, reading, and likely drinking way too much coffee.
Alexandra Harden
Ph.D. Student, Geography
Research Interests
Climate change and the lived experience in mountain systems
EDUCATION
2019- present
Ph.D student
2016-2017
Master of Arts
University of Connecticut
Geography
Columbia University
Climate and Society
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Final project: Appalachia Burning: understanding wildfires in the Southeast U.S.
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Fieldwork project: Building Resilience Through Restoration: climate change and the Jordan River basin
2014- 2016
University of Colorado Boulder
Continuing Education
Atmospheric and Oceanic Science
2004-2008
Bachelor of Arts
Colgate University
Political Science
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Thesis: The influence of leadership personality traits on decision-making in a time of crisis
Writing and Rhetoric
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Thesis: The role of written, verbal, and visual rhetoric in portraying the importance of climate change within the alpine community
RESEARCH
2020
Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative
Coding Team Member
The Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative (GAMI) is a collective global effort to systematically gather and synthesize literature on climate change adaptation. GAMI is in the process of reviewing thousands of peer-reviewed articles in order to develop the first systematic global assessment of empirical evidence on adaptation progress. This initiative was developed to provide synthesis results to inform the ongoing Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report (AR6), seeking to answer the question: Are we adapting?
2018-2019
Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity (AC4)/ United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
This research project focused on sensitive socio-ecological systems adaptive capacity in the Horn region of East Africa. The work was based on a historical analysis of holistic system adaptation and applied through an integrated conceptual model approach to address multidimensional system resilience given converging pressures from climate and conflict.
Research Fellow
2018-2019
The Consortium for Capacity Building (CCB)/ Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR)
Assistant Researcher
El Niño Ready Nations is an ongoing project that focuses on the varying conceptualizations of ‘readiness’ when it comes to being prepared on a national level for a climate-, water-, and/or weather-related disaster experienced during a declared El Niño season. I constructed a PR plan that created a media network in 30 countries. This included tiered content creation to address any changes in the 2018-2019 El Niño forecast. This campaign was a combined print, online, and social push meant to stress forecasting and monitor regional social responses to content.
2017-2018
Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity (AC4)/United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Research Fellow
2015-2016
The Consortium for Capacity Building (CCB)/ Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR)
Research Assistant
This project was a natural resource management project in the Peruvian Amazon, which focused on conflict resolution and natural resource management. My role was to examine the evolution of academic theory behind conflict-sensitive conservation practices and how this has contributed to current field standards. I furthered this research by identifying the different components of good practices in the field, as supported by academic publications, and how this can differ in actual implementation.
For this project, I worked with the Consortium for Capacity Building on a USAID/NOAA grant on how nations can prepare and cope with weather-related disasters to become an El Niño and La Nina Ready nation. My responsibilities included monitoring news outlets in 14+ countries. This monitoring was designed to note any instabilities with a country’s political, social, and economic environments. These instabilities focused primarily on economic fluctuations, disease outbreaks, human migration patterns, political instability, and other secondary impacts of changing climate variability due to naturally occurring ENSO cycles.
TEACHING
2019- 2020
Teaching Assistant,
The University of Connecticut
GEOG 2300 Introduction to Physical Geography
The physical elements and processes of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are considered in relation to one another and to the distribution of the world's environments. Emphasis on the basic concepts and theories of physical geography.
GEOG 2000 Globalization
Globalization as a complex-multidimensional process. Linkages and interconnectedness between spatial processes and social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental change around the world today. Theory and impacts of economic, social, political, and cultural globalization through case studies at the local, regional, national, and international scales.
GEOG 1200 The City and the Western Tradition
2019- 2020
Teaching Assistant,
The University of Connecticut
GEOG 2300 Introduction to Physical Geography
The physical elements and processes of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are considered in relation to one another and to the distribution of the world's environments. Emphasis on the basic concepts and theories of physical geography.
GEOG 2000 Globalization
Globalization as a complex-multidimensional process. Linkages and interconnectedness between spatial processes and social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental change around the world today. Theory and impacts of economic, social, political, and cultural globalization through case studies at the local, regional, national, and international scales.
GEOG 1200 The City and the Western Tradition
A broad discussion of the role and structure of the city in the western tradition from the Classical period to contemporary America. Special emphasis will be placed on the mechanisms by which cities and ideas about them have been diffused from one place to another and on the changing forces that have shaped the western
GEOG 1000 Introduction to Geography
Principles, concepts, and methods of modern geography are developed both in general form and specific case studies. Examples pertaining to both the human and physical environment will be discussed.
2017-2019
Academic Advisor and Tutor,
New York Ski Education Foundation
Math Tutor
Provided math tutoring to student-athletes enrolled in middle and high school curriculums. Coordinated assignments, exams, and progress reports with various school districts.
2019- 2020
Teaching Assistant,
The University of Connecticut
GEOG 2300 Introduction to Physical Geography
The physical elements and processes of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere are considered in relation to one another and to the distribution of the world's environments. Emphasis on the basic concepts and theories of physical geography.
GEOG 2000 Globalization
Globalization as a complex-multidimensional process. Linkages and interconnectedness between spatial processes and social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental change around the world today. Theory and impacts of economic, social, political, and cultural globalization through case studies at the local, regional, national, and international scales.
GEOG 1200 The City and the Western Tradition
A broad discussion of the role and structure of the city in the Western tradition from the classical period to contemporary America. Special emphasis will be placed on the mechanisms by which cities and ideas about them have been diffused from one place to another and on the changing forces that have shaped the Western city.
GEOG 1000 Introduction to Geography
Principles, concepts, and methods of modern geography are developed both in general form and specific case studies. Examples pertaining to both the human and physical environment will be discussed.
2017-2019
Academic Advisor and Tutor,
New York Ski Education Foundation
2015
Teaching Assistant
University of Colorado Boulder
Math Tutor
Provided math tutoring to student-athletes enrolled in middle and high school curriculums. Coordinated assignments, exams, and progress reports with various school districts.
ATOC 1050 Weather and the Atmosphere
Introduces principles of modern meteorology for nonscience majors, with emphasis on scientific and human issues associated with severe weather events. Includes description, methods of prediction, and impacts of blizzards, hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning, floods, and firestorms.
PUBLICATIONS
2019
Fisher, J., H. Stutzman, M. Vedoveto, D. Delgado, R. Rivero, W. Quertehuari Dariquebe, L. Seclén Contreras, T. Souto, A. Harden, and S. Rhee. 2019. Collaborative Governance and Conflict Management: Lessons Learned and Good Practices from a Case Study in the Amazon Basin. Society & Natural Resources
Under Review
Araos, M., R. Shukla, I. Ajibade, E. Coughlan de Perez, K.Davis, J.D. Ford, E.K. Galappaththi, C. Grady, A.J. Hudson, E.T. Joe, C.J. Kirchhoff, A. Lesnikowski, G. Nagle Alverio, M. Nielsen, B. Orlove, B. Pentz, D. Reckien, A.R. Siders, N. Ulibarri, M. van Aalst, T. Zulfawu Abu, T. Agrawal, L. Berrang-Ford, R. Bezner Kerr, S. Coggins, M. Garschagen, A. Harden, K.J. Mach, A. Marshall Nunbogu, P. Spandan, S. Templeman, L.L. Turek-Hankins. (Submitted). Equity in adaptation: A systematic global review. One Earth.
Under Review
Berrang-Ford, Siders, Lesnikowski, Fischer, , Callaghan Haddaway, Mach, Araos, Shah, Wannewitz, Doshi, Leiter,
Matavel, Musah-Surugu, Wong-Parodi, Antwi-Agyei, Ajibade, Chauhan, Kakenmaster, Grady, Chalastani, Jagannathan, Galappaththi, Sitati, Scarpa, Totin, Davis, Hamilton, Kirchhoff, Kumar, Pentz, Simpson, Theokritoff, Deryng, Reckien, Zavaleta-Cortijo, Ulibarri, Segnon, Khavhagali, Shang, Zvobgo, Zommers, Xu, Williams, Villaverde Canosa, van Maanen, van Bavel, van Aalst, Turek-, ankins, Trivedi, Trisos, Thomas, Thakur, Templeman, Stringer, Sotnik, Sjostrom, Singh, Siña, Shukla, Sardans, Salubi, Safaee Chalkasra, Ruiz-Díaz, Richards, Pokharel, Petzold, Penuelas, Pelaez Avila, Pazmino Murillo, Ouni, Niemann, Nielsen, New, Nayna Schwerdtle, Nagle Alverio, Mullin, Mullenite, Mosurska, Morecroft, Minx, Maskell, Marshall Nunbogu, Magnan, Lwasa, Lukas-Sithole, Lissner, Lilford, Koller, Jurjonas, Joe, Huynh, Hill, Hernandez, Hedge, Hawxwell, Harper, Harden, Haasnoot, Gilmore, Gichuki, Gatt, Garschagen, Ford, Forbes, Farrell, Enquist, Elliott, Duncan, Coughlan de Perez, Coggins, Chen, Campbell, Browne, Bowen, Biesbroek, Bhatt, Bezner Kerr, Barr, Baker, Austin, Arotoma-Rojas, Anderson, Ajaz, Agrawal, Abu. (Submitted). Mapping evidence of human adaptation to climate change. Nature Climate Change.
Under Review
McDowell, G., M. Stevens, A. Lesnikowski, C. Huggel, A.Harden, J. DiBella, M. Morecroft, P. Kumar, ET. Joe. (Submitted). Closing the Adaptation Gap in Mountains. Mountain Research and Development.
MANUSCRIPTS IN PREPARATION
Boyer, M., A. Harden. Foreign Policy Analysis: Climate Change. To be included in Oxford Handbook of Foreign Policy Analysis.
FUNDING
2019
Arctic Field Schools:
Norway-Canada-USA Collaboration
Location: Kluane Lake Research Station, Kluane Lake, Yukon, Canada
Topic: Understanding the cryosphere, cryosphere change, and impacts of change on people and ecosystems