Welcome - I'm Jake Hawes.
Pronouns: he/him Location: Nashville, TN, USA
I'm a PhD Candidate at the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability. I study adaptation in urban food systems in the Urban Sustainability Research Group.
I am an interdisciplinary instructor and researcher, grounded in geography and engineering, studying adaptation in social-ecological-technological systems (SETS). I completed degrees in engineering and natural resources social science before bringing these lenses and methods to the geography-oriented lab of Joshua Newell at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.
At SEAS, I have developed a mixed methods dissertation studying urban agriculture as a form of adaptation in regional food systems. I am employing life cycle assessment, survey research, and spatial analysis to study the environmental, social, and spatial effects of urban agriculture, contributing to our understanding of its role in sustainable, just city-regions. To support this work, I have joined Dr. Newell in the FEW-meter international urban agriculture research project.
In Spring 2021, I was an intern at Voters Not Politicians, evaluating VNP's programming during the 2020 redistricting cycle. VNP organized the 2018 Michigan constitutional amendment that created an independent citizens redistricting commission and supported communities of interest for participating in the commission's work.