Hamilton, Matt

Matthew is a Ph.D. candidate in ecology at UC Davis. He conducts research on how policy institutions can build adaptive capacity in complex social-ecological systems. In particular, in partnership with colleagues from research institutions in East Africa, he uses approaches from network science to evaluate patterns of interactions among organizations and institutions engaged in climate change adaptation policy-making in the Lake Victoria region.

Previously, Matthew worked with specialists from several Central American countries to develop a low-cost technique for gathering environmental and social data on water resources using high-resolution satellite imagery as base layers in participatory mapping exercises.

Before beginning his studies at UC Davis, Matthew was Developing Regions Program Coordinator at the Association of American Geographers. Earlier, he spent several years in Latin America working with local stakeholders to improve conservation of natural resources and ecosystem services, first as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay and later as an agroforestry extension volunteer with the Golden Lion Tamarin Association in Brazil. He has also worked for the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth in the U.S. He has an M.Sc. in International Agricultural Development from UC Davis and B.A. from Dartmouth College.