Kauneckis, Derek

Derek Kauneckis is an associate professor at Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, where he teaches in the Environmental Studies Program. He received a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Indiana University at Bloomington.

Dr. Kauneckis' research focuses on governance and institutional design as applied to environmental and science/technology policy. His current work focuses on climate change adaptation and local governance, the resilience of socio-ecological systems, policy innovation and the science/policy interface.

He is currently studying the climate resilience of western river systems, local government climate change policies and the emergence of local and regional green business programs. His other research has included collaborative environmental governance at Lake Tahoe; conservation and property rights institutions at the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Yucatan, Mexico; landowner behavior in rural Indiana; water governance and climate adaption on the Truckee and Sacramento River systems; and state-level science and technology policy.

Dr. Kauneckis has received teaching and mentoring awards from Indiana University and the University of Nevada. His work has been supported by the Fulbright Scholar Program; the National Science Foundation (NSF); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).