Polsky, Colin

Professor Colin Polsky joined the faculty as Assistant Professor in 2003. Dr. Polsky received his Ph.D. and M.S. (Geography) degrees from the Pennsylvania State University, where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and B.S. (mathematics) and B.A. (humanities, French) degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. He has also completed a two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University, with the Research and Assessment Systems for Sustainability program at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government. This Fellowship is sponsored by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Colin is a geographer specializing in the human dimensions of global environmental change, emphasizing the statistical analysis of vulnerability to climate change. He has explored ways to blend quantitative and qualitative methods for the study of social and ecological vulnerability to environmental changes in the Arctic (with a focus on traditional reindeer herding), the U.S. Great Plains (with a focus on contemporary agriculture), and central and eastern Massachusetts (with foci on suburban water management, and on fishing communities). This research requires the blending of statistical techniques (such as empirical downscaling and spatial econometrics) with insight gained from qualitative methods (such as interviews and participant observation). Colin is affiliated with Clark University's George Perkins Marsh Institute.