Environmental governance grad student (PhD and Master's)

Dr. Holly Nesbitt is hiring two graduate students (PhD and MS) in the Forest Sciences Graduate Program at Colorado State University in Fort Collins to study the collaborative governance of wildfire to start in the fall 2027 semester. Students will have the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary research with other scholars in the Forest and Rangeland Stewardship department, the Warner College of Natural Resources, and the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, and work in partnership with practitioners to inform policy and programming. Students should have prior experience or interest in topic areas like collaboration, environmental governance, natural resource policy and planning, conservation social science, social-ecological systems, and research methods in social sciences. Students should also be comfortable with numbers (either proficient in statistical methods or have a keen interest in developing proficiency).

Students will have the flexibility to define their research project, but should be interested in the following types of questions:

1. Does collaborative planning improve outcomes after a wildfire? For whom?
2. What inspires individual landowners to address the collective action problem of wildfire? To what extent are policy interventions that encourage collective action among landowners effective at mitigating wildfire?
3. How can research support and inform policy interventions in partnership with land managers?

Prospective students will need the following traits to succeed in my lab:

• Curiosity
• Strong writing skills
• A keen interest in developing quantitative skills in the statistical program R
• Strong work ethic
• Ability to work well with others

Students will receive a stipend each semester ($2300-$2500/month) as well as a summer stipend. Tuition, student fees, and health insurance fees will be covered.

Colorado State University is a Land Grant institution and among the nation’s leading research universities. The University enrolls approximately 32,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Located an hour north of the Denver metro area, Fort Collins is a vibrant community of approximately 170,000 residents that offers the convenience of a small town with all the amenities of a large city. Fort Collins is situated on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains with views of 14,000-foot peaks, and offers access to numerous cultural, recreational, and outdoor opportunities.

Before applying, please look at my website and most recent articles in Google Scholar to get a better sense of the work that I do. If you feel like our interests are aligned or have overlap, please consider applying! Students should also read this blog post on what to think about before starting a PhD program. Though it’s focused on a PhD program, prospective Master’s students will also benefit from reading it. It will give you a better sense of how I view grad school, traits that are essential for your success, and questions you should be asking me, yourself, and others as you consider this next step.

To be considered, please send the following to holly.nesbitt@colostate.edu by Nov 18, 2026:

• A letter of introduction that describes your research interests and how they align with the questions and/or themes outlined above, your past research experience and educational background, whether you are applying for the Master’s or PhD program, why you’re interested in pursuing a graduate degree and what you hope to do after graduate school, and why you’d like to join this lab (max 2 pages).
• A CV or resume that details your relevant work, volunteer, and educational experience
• PDFs of two writing samples. These samples could be assignments from a class you took, memos or reports you wrote for work, publications, or another form of writing that showcases your ability to write clearly. Please do not send writing samples that were generated with AI in any way.
• Contact information for two professional references.

Once interviews have been conducted, prospective students will be encouraged to apply to the graduate school by February 1, 2027 for a fall 2027 start.