Sarah L. Smith, PhD, is an environmental social scientist and marine and coastal policy professional. She is currently a postdoctoral research associate at Rutgers University in the Department of Human Ecology. She has extensive experience in non-profit, academic, and government sectors developing social science and policy related to fisheries and marine conservation. Specific areas of expertise and experience include:
Social science research methods Quantitative and qualitative analysis Performance evaluation Stakeholder engagement U.S. and international fisheries management | Fisheries and climate change Offshore renewable energy Marine spatial planning Marine protected areas Coastal zone management |
Sarah holds a PhD in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island, an MA in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University, and a BA in French from Hamilton College.
She has managed numerous projects related to fisheries social science and fisheries policy globally, and also worked extensively in New England fisheries. She has worked on topics ranging from coastal resilience in New England coastal communities to marine spatial planning to co-management of marine protected areas in the Caribbean. Through these projects, she has partnered with and worked with scientists, fisheries managers, fishermen, state and federal government officials, and numerous other stakeholders.
Sarah is currently based in Wakefield, Rhode Island where she lives with her husband and two young children, along with a cat and some chickens. She spends her leisure time boating, hiking, biking, playing in tide pools, and building sandcastles with her family.
Let’s work together.
