Dr. Jon Nelson works in the Marine Affairs Coastal Resilience Lab on several ongoing projects, including serving as Director of the National Science Foundation Community-Driven Coastal Climate Research and Solutions (3CRS) Hub. Jon is originally from a Kansas farming family but has called Rhode Island his home for many years. He completed a BA in Sociology at the University of Kansas and then moved to Providence to enroll at Brown University where he earned his doctorate in Sociology. His dissertation addressed structural, political, and economic factors’ influence on Rhode Island coastal communities’ adaptation to sea-level rise. He has also worked on reforestation in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest and on family agriculture in Kansas. Before coming to URI, he was a professor of Environmental Studies at the Rhode Island School of Design from 2022-24 and taught environmental and organizational sociology at Brown.

Jon enjoys gardening, hiking, & sailing.