Olivia Awbrey is a faculty researcher with the Ecosystem Workforce Program in the Institute for Resilient Organizations, Communities, and Environments at the University of Oregon. Olivia uses their background in forest collaborative governance, wildfire resilience, and applied social science methods to support a number of projects at EWP.
Olivia's master's work at Portland State University explored human-fire and fire-weather relationships. She worked as a research assistant with the USFS-PSU and CU Boulder Fueling Adaptations project, understanding large-scale wildfire adaptation across four landscapes in the U.S. West. They are interested in topics related to scaling social systems, dendrochronological narratives, environmental and Indigenous history, and socioecological resilience planning.
When not researching, Olivia is a songwriter and musician. She loves to translate what she learns in her work into palatable folk songs for everyone. She often uses this medium for science communication and trust building in communities where she performs.