Elizabeth De Santo is Associate Professor and Chair of the Environmental Studies Program at Franklin & Marshall College, based in the Department of Earth and Environment. She is a human geographer with training in environmental law, history of international relations, environmental management, and marine zoology. Elizabeth's teaching and research focus on marine conservation and environmental governance, critically examining: (1) the efficacy of spatial approaches to conserving marine species and habitats, and (2) mechanisms for improving the science-policy interface in environmental decision-making. She is particularly interested in the challenges of effectively implementing Marine Protected Areas and biodiversity conservation worldwide. Prior to joining F&M, Elizabeth taught in the Marine Affairs Program and College of Sustainability at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She has also held positions with the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and the World Environment Center, consultancies with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and the Institute for European Environmental Policy, and she is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. She holds a PhD in Geography (co-supervised in Laws) from University College London, an MSc in the History of International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Masters of Environmental Management from Duke University, and a BA in Zoology from Connecticut College.
Career Overview (full CV available upon request)
- 2019-present: Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Franklin & Marshall College
- 2013-2019: Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Franklin & Marshall College
- 2009-2013: Assistant Professor of Marine Affairs, Dalhousie University
- 2007-2009: Marine Protected Areas Coordination Officer, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)
- 1999-2001: Program Manager, World Environment Center
- 1998-1999: Research Assistant in Eurasian Environmental Security, Duke University
- 1997: Animal Husbandry Intern, Mystic Marinelife Aquarium
- 1996: Intern, Marine Mammal Research Program, Texas A&M University
- 1995-1996: Research Fellow in Systematics and Evolutionary Biology, American Museum of Natural History
