Faculty Voice Meredith Gore

From studying great white sharks in South Africa to gray wolves in Michigan, Meredith Gore observes how people around the world interact with wildlife species.

From studying great white sharks in South Africa to gray wolves in Michigan, Meredith Gore observes how people around the world interact with wildlife species.
Since 2008, the assistant professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and the School of Criminal Justice has been working with a small group of faculty on campus on conservation criminology.

“I study illegal, elicit and deviant human behavior related to the environment,” Gore said. “Having a joint appointment in those two units fits my area of expertise very well.”
Gore is currently exploring environmental risk in a global context. She has a research project in Madagascar and has students working in Michigan and Namibia trying to understand how local people perceive environmental risks and how decision-makers can use information about local perceptions to better manage the environment.
“I’m a conservation social scientist, so unlike some faculty, I do not have a species that I am an expert in. The species that I am an expert in is people,” Gore said.

Gore also is in the pilot class of a global research fellow, a one-year capacity building program for faculty in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Engineering.

“The idea is to enhance our individual capacity for conducting global research in a successful way but also collectively making sure that MSU maintains its commitment to excellence for international research,” Gore said.

Gore was initially intrigued with MSU for its opportunities in interdisciplinary scholarship.

“MSU is the land of opportunity,” Gore said. “There are so few barriers to being able to be the intellectual explorer that I want to be, and that is one of the things I love most about MSU.”
Gore said the most rewarding part of her job is having the opportunity to collaborate with individuals on the ground that make a positive difference for the environment and people that interact with it.

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