Elena Louder

I am a PhD Candidate in the school of Geography, Development and Environment supervised by Dr. Carl Bauer. My research draws from political ecology, critical social theory, and science and technology studies to study environmental politics and sustainability, and question how these are contoured by systems of power and political economy at various scales. My dissertation research examines the political and social dimensions of the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy in Chile. Specifically, I analyze the policies and discourses around energy transition at the national scale, paired with an in-depth examination of how renewable energy is being developed in the Atacama Desert.

Before coming to the U of A, I completed a master’s degree in International Conservation and Development at the University of Montana, where I explored the intersection of neoliberalism and conservation through an investigation of privately owned parks in Chilean Patagonia.

I have also worked periodically since 2015 as a research assistant at the international conservation NGO, the Luc Hoffmann Institute (now UnEarthodox). In this role I’ve had the opportunity to engage in various projects related to the science-policy interface, including knowledge co-production and research impact and evaluation. I also participated in the Biodiversity Revisited project, a global collaboration of conservation scholars and practitioners working to chart a new course for biodiversity research, where I served as a lead chapter author.

My work has been supported by The PEO Scholars Award, Fulbright-Hays Fellowship, Tinker Foundation, Conference of Latin American Geographers, Energy and Environment Specialty Group of the AAG, and The School of Geography, Development and Environment.

Apart from my academic pursuits, I’m an avid whitewater kayaker and river guide. When I’m not doing academic work, you can find me on a river somewhere!

My publications:

Louder, E., & Bosak, K. (2023). Spectacle of Nature 2.0: The (Re) Production of Patagonia National Park. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 113(2), 331-345.https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2022.2106176

Gerlak, A. K., Guido, Z., Owen, G., McGoffin, M. S. R., Louder, E., Davies, J., ... & Joshi, N. (2023). Stakeholder engagement in the co-production of knowledge for environmental decision-making. World Development, 170, 106336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2023.106336

Gerlak, A., Louder, E., Ingram, H. Viewpoint: An intersectional approach to water equity in the US. Water Alternatives 15(1): 1-12. https://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol15/v15issue1/650-a15-1-1/file

Cvitanovic, C., Wyborn, C., Glenn, E., Kelly, R., Louder, E., Bednarek, A. (2021). Ten considerations for research funders seeking to enhance the impact of marine science on policy and practice. Frontiers in Marine Science 8: 704495. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.704495

Wyborn, C., Louder, E. Harfoot, M. Hill, S. (2021). Engaging with the science and politics of biodiversity futures: A literature review. Environmental Conservation 48(1) 8-15. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S037689292000048X

Louder, E., Wyborn, C, Cvitanovic, C, Bednarek, A. (2021). A synthesis of the frameworks available to guide evaluations of research impact at the interface of environmental science, policy and practice. Environmental Science and Policy 116: 258-265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.12.006

Wyborn, C., Montana, J., Kalas, N., Clement, S., Davila Ciseneros, F., Knowles, N. Louder, E., Balan, M., Chambers, J., Christel, L., Forsyth, T., Henderson, G., Izquierdo Tort, S., Lim, M., Martinez-Harms, M.J., Merçon, J., Nuesiri, E., Pereria, L., Pilbeam, V., Turnhout, E., Wood, S., Ryan, M. (2021). An agenda for research and action towards diverse and just futures for life on Earth. Conservation Biology 35(4): 1086-1097. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13671

Louder, E. and Wyborn, C. (2020). Biodiversity narratives: Stories of the evolving conservation landscape. Environmental Conservation 47(4): 251-259. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892920000387

Turnhout, E., Metze, T. Wyborn, C. Klenk, N. Louder, E. (2020). The politics of co-production: Participation, power, and transformation. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 42:15-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2019.11.009

Nostrom, A., Cvitanovic, C. Löf, M.F., West, S., Wyborn, C., Balvanera, P., Bednarek, A.T., Bennet, E.M., Biggs, R., de Bremond, A., Campbell, B.M., Canadell, J.G., Carpenter, S.R., Folke, C., Fulton, E.A., Gaffney, O., Gelcich, S., Jouffray, J., Leach, M. LeTissier, M., Martín-López, B., Louder, E., Loutre, M., Meadow, A.,M., Nagendra, H., Payne, D., Peterson, G.D., Reyers, B., Scholes, R.,  Speranza, C.I., Spierenburg, M. Stafford-Smith, M. Tengö, M., van der Hel, S. van Putten, I., Österblom, H. (2020). Principles for knowledge co-production in sustainability research. Nature Sustainability 3: 182-190. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0448-2

Louder, E., & Bosak, K. (2019). What the gringos brought: Local perspectives on a privately protected area in Chilean Patagonia. Conservation and Society 17(2):161-172. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26611742

Yung, L. Louder, E. Gallagher, L., Jones, K., Wyborn, C. (2019). How methods for navigating uncertainty connect science and policy at the water-energy-food nexus. Frontiers in Environmental Science 7(37):1-17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2019.00037

Wyborn, C., Louder, E., Harrison, J. Montambault, J. Montana, J., Ryan, M., Bednarek, A.T., Nesshöver, C, Pullin, A., Reed, M., Dellecker, E., Kramer, J. Boyd, J., Dellecker, A., Hutton, J. (2018). Understanding the impact of research synthesis. Environmental Science and Policy 86:72-84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.04.013