Faculty and Research Associates

To bring cutting-edge research to policy issues facing the Rocky Mountain West, the Institute utilizes the expertise of faculty and researchers at throughout the state. The following people have been instrumental to the work.

Patrick Byrne, Associate Professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, 970-491-6985.

Dr. Byrne’s research interests include biotechnology risk assessment and applying quantitative and molecular genetics to crop improvement. For more information, see Dr. Byrne's website.

Bill Chaloupka, Professor, Department of Political Science, Colorado State University.

Dr. Chaloupka's work focuses on political theory and American politics, with a focus on the politics of the environment. His most recent book is Everybody Knows: Cynicism in America, published by the University of Minnesota Press.

Tony Cheng, Assistant Professor, Department of Forest, Rangeland, & Watershed Stewardship, Colorado State University, 970-491-1900.

Dr. Cheng specializes in local level civic and institutional innovations that integrate forest stewardship and local community development as mutually-beneficial, sustainable practices. Specifically, this includes (1) participatory planning and implementation approaches; (2) the inter-relationship between governmental, non-profit, and for-profit organizations in forest stewardship; and (3) the interplay between community-based and national policy. For more information, see Dr. Cheng's webpage.

Robert Duffy, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Colorado State University, 970-491-6225.

Dr. Duffy researches U.S. energy and environmental politics and policy. Recently, he has been investigating coalbed methane regulation in the intermountain west and surface mining issues. For more information, see Dr. Duffy's webpage.

Mark Fiege, Associate Professor, Department of History, Colorado State University, 970-491-6848.

Dr. Fiege specializes in environmental, agricultural, and western American history.

Christine A. Fruhauf, Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the Center on Aging, Colorado State University, 970-491-1118.

Dr. Fruhauf's research interests include: grandparent-grandchild relationships, family caregiving, quality of long-term care for individuals who have Alzheimer's disease, and life satisfaction. To find out more about Dr. Fruhauf please visit her webpage.

Neil S. Grigg, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, 970-491-3369.

Dr. Grigg works in water policy, water resources management and engineering, and public administration with a focus on civil infrastructure. A former university administrator, consulting engineer and state official, he has over 40 years of experience in the water and infrastructure fields. His recent books, Water Manager's Handbook and Colorado's Water, present an overview of water management principles and western water issues. Since 1988 he has served as the River Master of the Pecos River under a U.S. Supreme Court appointment. He also focuses on public infrastructure policy, and recently completed several projects on security and asset management. For more information, see Dr. Grigg's webpage.

Thomas O. Holtzer, Professor and Head, Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, and Associate Dean for Research, College of Agricultural Sciences, 970-491-5261.

Dr. Holtzer has wide ranging interests including Integrated Pest Management, implementation of biotechnology in agriculture, and ecological aspects of complex agricultural systems. For more information, see Dr. Holtzer’s webpage.

Doug Kenney, Senior Research Associate, Natural Resources Law Center; Deputy Director, CU-CIRES/NOAA Western Water Assessment, University of Colorado, 303-492-1296.

Dr. Kenney specializes in the analysis of institutional arrangements for the governance and management of natural resources, particularly western water resources, with an emphasis on the nexus between water availability, climate change, and population growth.

John Loomis, Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado State University, 970-491-2485.

Dr. Loomis performs economic valuation of non-marketed natural resources such as recreation, public lands, open space, water, wetlands, endangered species, non-game wildlife, hunting, fishing, etc. He also performs benefit-cost analyses and policy analyses of a wide range of natural resource management actions including forest fire management, maintaining instream flows, and recreation pricing. For more information, see Dr. Loomis' webpage.

Dawn Thilmany, Associate Professor and Agribusiness Extension Specialist, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado State University, 970-491-7220.

Dr. Thilmany specializes in small agribusiness management, consumer market analysis and rural development. She has particular interest in the policy issues surrounding local food systems, niche markets and the impact of value-added agricultural development on rural areas. For more information, see Dr. Thilmany's webpage.

Reagan Waskom, Extension Water Resources Specialist, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences; Interim Director of the Colorado Water Resources Institute, Colorado State University, 970) 491-6308.

Dr. Waskom is responsible for conducting statewide educational and applied research programs on water quality, water quantity, water policy and natural resource issues related to water use. Research interests include agricultural water quality and agricultural water use efficiency. For more information, see Dr. Waskom's webpage.

John Wiener, Research Associate, Environment and Society Program, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, 303 492-8147.

Dr. Wiener has worked in environmental law, natural hazards, indigenous subsistence and culture, property rights and common property resource management, and water management.