Krista Harrington

Krista Harrington (PhD student) ​is an interdisciplinary-trained geographer, bringing a political ecology lens to her academic interests in water resource governance, collaborative governance, climate resilience, and fisheries. Her approach to research is largely inductive, focusing on what we can learn from place-based contexts and persons’ lived experiences. She has worked under tribal entities, federal agencies, and at university laboratories but finds collaborative roles the most fulfilling. Krista earned her MS in Geography at Portland State University (PSU) under Dr. Alida Cantor and earned her BS at Colorado State University in the department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. Krista’s master’s work at PSU focused on politics and alliances surrounding the Snake River dam removal proposal by US Congressman Simpson, which uncovered the ongoing conflicts as complex socio-ecological tradeoffs. For her PhD she will be looking at the intersections of climate change and human wellbeing in the Puget Sound and beyond. Krista will work with Puget Sound partners to translate her research findings into policy decisions and planning support. In her spare time, you can catch Krista backpacking, weightlifting, kayaking, at the beach with a book, or surrounded by dogs.