People

Mark Neff

Research Assistant, Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes

Mark Neff is a research assistant at the Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes at ASU, and is funded through the Science Policy Assessment and Research on Climate (SPARC) DMUU center, which is split between Arizona State and the University of Colorado. Mark received an MS degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon, where his research focused on using scenario analysis as a tool to aid in ecological management decision-making in politically charged and uncertain situations. He joined Arizona State University and CSPO in the fall of 2005 to work toward a PhD in the School of Life Sciences. His dissertation research explores how ecologists make decisions about research priorities, taking into account personal and institutional factors, as well as scientific norms and funding patterns, that influence priority setting. His research fits into the SPARC objective of seeking to understand how science and scientists serve as actors in broader political processes. He is interested in teaching subjects that lie at the intersection of environmental studies; science studies and science policy, specifically examining ecology as a scientific discipline; and environmental governance.