Jennifer Schmidt

Jennifer Schmidt serves as Associate Professor of Natural Resource Management at the University of Alaska Anchorage's Institute of Social and Economic Research, where she has established herself as a leading expert in socio-ecological systems research. Her interdisciplinary work focuses on balancing conservation efforts with societal needs, examining critical issues including subsistence and sport harvest, land use, ecosystem management, and climate change impacts. As principal investigator on a National Science Foundation grant, she develops educational materials and tools to help communities understand and adapt to environmental changes. Her research impact is evidenced by over 745 citations of her work, reflecting significant contributions to understanding human-environment interactions in Arctic and Alpine regions. Through her role at UAA, she champions collaborative approaches to natural resource management, engaging stakeholders to co-produce knowledge that bridges academic research with practical applications. Her expertise extends to teaching through UAF's AlaskaX platform, where she contributes to courses on resilient communities and food-energy-water security, helping students understand the complex interactions between human communities and natural systems.