(Ph.D., Development Sociology; Cornell University) Professor Ahlquist’s teaching and research explore human relationships to nature (as both an idea and a thing) and the ways in which political and economic inequalities between social groups are played out through uneven relationships to the environment. In his teaching, Professor Ahlquist is particularly interested in examining the political ecological dimensions of agriculture and food systems, conservation, inequality, environmental justice, and synthetic biology. In his current research, Professor Ahlquist draws primarily on the lenses of environmental sociology and political ecology, as well as ethnographic and comparative historical methods, to explore the cross-cutting themes of state conservation and development policies, agrarian change, displacement, and changing forms of inequality in Thailand and across the global South. Professor Ahlquist comes to Michigan State from Duke University, where he served as a post-doctoral fellow in the Thompson Writing Program. At Duke, he received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Leadership in Sustainability, and he looks forward to working with Madison students to further sustainability and environmental justice efforts at Michigan State, in the Lansing-area community, and beyond. He holds a Ph.D. in Development Sociology from Cornell University.