Rebecca Nixon

Rebecca Nixon Profile Picture
Home Department:
Forestry & Natural Resources

Mentor / Lab:
Dr. Zhao Ma/Human Dimensions Lab

Specific Research Area / Project:
Natural resource social science/Adaptation and tradeoffs in river-based livelihoods on the Swat and Kabul Rivers of Pakistan


Research Profile:

As a natural resource social scientist, I examine how individuals, households, and communities make decisions in natural resources management. My work primarily focuses on decision making in the contexts of social-ecological change, agricultural systems, and water governance.

My dissertation research, “Adaptation and tradeoffs in river-based livelihoods on the Swat and Kabul Rivers of Pakistan” is a part of a larger, collaborative project between Purdue University and the University of Peshawar (UP). This interdisciplinary project studies the presence and impact of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) on fish populations and rural livelihoods. Within this context, I utilize mixed-methods to investigate individuals’ perceptions of water supply, adaptation strategies in response to water stress, and the values that shape adaptation decision-making. In partnership with graduate students at UP, I collected interview data from 25 farmers, fishers, individuals in the tourism industry, and formal and informal community leaders and survey data from 445 households. Our findings reveal the ways in which decision-makers trade off values in order to adapt to water stress and highlights the need to support adaptation strategies that align with stakeholders' values.

Broadly, this interdisciplinary project aims to increase our understanding of the complexity of social-ecological systems by examining how contaminant levels, fish health, and livelihood strategies relate and interact. These findings will inform policy recommendations for decision-makers and regional governments along the Swat and Kabul Rivers that aim to improve water security in the region.

Rebecca Nixon Research Picture

About Me:

I work in natural resource social science because I want to support sustainable and equitable natural resource management. I came to this field through my love of the outdoors and seeing the complex interactions between humans and the environment. This has driven my passion to find ways we can manage these resources for both human well-being and environmental sustainability. I also believe in the importance of mentoring and teaching, and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to work with undergraduates in my lab and in the classroom setting here at Purdue.

I am incredibly grateful for the relationships I have formed as a part of ESE. The students, staff, and faculty have become important sources of support throughout my PhD and instrumental to my professional development. Planning the annual ESE sympoisum has been one my most memorable experiences in ESE. It was an incredible opportunity to work alongside other students, network with faculty across campus, and see the campus engage with the event.

I plan to pursue a faculty position in a research-focused university in the U.S. I am excited about the opportunity to combine research and teaching and am particularly interested in positions at a land grant university to continue to work alongside stakeholders in agricultural systems.

Awards:

  • Awards and Honors
  • Third place, Doctoral Oral Paper Competition, West Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers 2019 Annual Meeting, Cedar Falls, IA. (2019)
  • First place, U.S. Borlaug Summer Institute on Global Food Security Student Project Presentation (2018).
  • First place, Masters Student Division, Sustainable Agriculture Research Symposium Poster Competition, Iowa State University (2017)
  • Second place, Graduate Student Division, Borlaug Poster Session, Iowa State University (2016)
  • Second place, Student Poster Competition, Iowa Chapter American Planning Association (2016)
  • Grants, Fellowships, and Scholarships
  • Purdue University D. Woods Thomas Memorial International Support Fund (2018). $1,000
  • U.S. Borlaug Summer Institute on Global Food Security Fellowship (2018).
  • Purdue University A. H. Ismail Interdisciplinary Program Doctoral Research Travel Award (2017). $1,000
  • Purdue University Andrews Environmental Travel Grant (2017). $1,500
  • Iowa State University Agricultural Property Rights Association Scholarship (2016). $1,000
  • Iowa State University International Studies in Sustainable Livelihoods Graduate Student Travel Award (2015). $4,000
  • Iowa State University Global Funding for Graduate Students and Postdocs (2015). $1,000

Publications:

  • Nixon, R., Owusu, F. (2017). Choice, Inclusion, and Access to Information: Understanding Female Farmers’ Participation in Kyrgyzstan’s Water-User Associations. Sustainability, 9, 2346.
  • Hawes, J. K., Erwin, A., McWherter, B., Nixon, R., Popovici, R., Rathjen, M., & Ma, Z. (2019). A Review of Grassroots Global Governance. Society & Natural Resources, 32 (11), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2019.1602239

Presentations:

  • Nixon, R., Ma, Z., Khan, B. 2019. Value tradeoffs in adaptation decision-making along the Swat and Kabul Rivers of Pakistan. Paper presented at the West Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers 2019 Annual Meeting, Cedar Falls, IA.
  • Nixon, R., Hawes, J., Ma, Z., Khan, B. (2019). The role of values and tradeoffs in adaptation decision making along the Swat and Kabul rivers of Pakistan. Paper presented at the Sustainability and Development Conference, Ann Arbor, MI.
  • Hawes, J., Nixon, R., Ma, Z. (2019) Tradeoffs in Adaptation Decision Making: Testing a new analytical lens in the Eastern Snake Plain of Idaho. Paper presented at the Sustainability and Development Conference, Ann Arbor, MI.
  • Nixon, R., Hawes, J. 2019. Multi-scalar tradeoffs in adaptation decision making in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan and the Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho. Paper presented at the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Oshkosh, WI.
  • Nixon, R. Ma, Z., Khan, B., Lee, L. 2019. Adaptation, transformation, and the associated tradeoffs in river based livelihoods in northern Pakistan. Paper presented at the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
  • Wang, Z. Ma, Z. Nixon, R. 2019. Water Rights and Local Justice: A case study of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in Shaanxi, China. Paper presented at the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
  • Nixon, R., Ma, Z., Khan, B., Lee, L. 2018. River-based livelihood tradeoffs and the associated equity implications for sustainable development along the Swat and Kabul Rivers of Pakistan. Paper presented at the Sustainability and Development Conference, Ann Arbor, MI.
  • Nixon, R., Ma, Z. 2018. Adaptation and tradeoffs in river based livelihood strategies in the Swat Valley, Pakistan. Paper presented at the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
  • Nixon, R. 2016. Women’s roles in water user associations in southern Kyrgyzstan: Exploring participation in irrigation management and access to capital. Paper presented at the Central Eurasian Studies Society Annual Conference, Princeton, New Jersey.

Leadership:

  • Member of the Student Affairs Committee, International Association for Society and Natural Resources, 2017- present. Co-chair, Ecological Sciences and Engineering Symposium, 2017-2018.
  • Graduate student peer mentor, 2017-present. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University.
  • Graduate student peer mentor, 2017-present. Interdisciplinary Ecological Sciences and Engineering, Purdue University.
  • Co-president, ISU Sustainable Agriculture Student Association: 2015-2016.

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