Liz Nichols, PhD

Experience

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  American Museum of Natural History

  Sept 2004 - Aug 2006

  Biodiversity Specialist
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  Lancaster University / Universidade de São Paulo

  Sept 2012 - Aug 2014

  National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow
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  Universidade de São Paulo

  Oct 2014 - Sept 2015

  FAPESP Postdoctoral Fellow
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  Swarthmore College

  Sept 2015 - Apr 2019

  Assistant Professor of Conservation Biology

  Developed five introductory, intermediate and upper-level courses focused on the environment or environmental policy and instructed 250 undergraduate students. These courses taught quantitative skills (statistics, programming, geographic information systems) integrated with real-world case studies of international environment policies including climate change policy, including environmental, economic, political, and scientific factors. Acted as principle investigator in four research projects across research labs at Swarthmore College and the University of São Paulo. Mentored and supervised nine research students during research in the United States and Brazil. Served as Associate Editor for two scientific journals (the Journal of Applied Ecology and Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation). Provided periodic reviews of scientific research funding proposals, including for the NSF. Routinely interacted with media to communicate scientific research and biodiversity conservation to the general public, including NPR, the New York Times, Conservation Magazine, the Natural Resource Defense Council, and The Week. Show less

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  Universidade de São Paulo

  Oct 2016 - Dec 2023

  Adjunct Professor

  Developed, designed, executed and served as principal coordinator of the program 'Impacts of land-use change on disease regulation-ecosystem services: a dung beetle-gastrointestinal nematode mammal model system' of 'The Interface Project', funded by the National Science Foundation and São Paulo Research Foundation, which aimed to (1) contribute to the scientific understanding of how landscape structure influences biodiversity persistence and bundled ecosystem service production, and (2) to impact environmental governance in a region of internationally recognized biodiversity value. Additionally formulated, executed and audited sub-project budget of BR $219,000 (USD $70,000), and support the execution of the overall project budget of BR $1,196,665 (USD $380,575), and supervised two PhD, three Masters students, and two technical assistants. Show less

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  U.S. Department of State

  Jan 2018 - Jul 2024

  International sustainability science policy strategy and engagement, currently focused on building and funding a more circular economy, including for plastics. Over 6+ years at the State Department, I have developed and negotiated strategy and policy across a range of issues and multilateral processes, including air pollution (Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution), mercury (Minamata Convention), chemicals and waste (Global Framework on Chemicals), Persistent Organic Pollutants (Stockholm Convention), and managed the science-policy basis of the U.S. relationship with the world's largest environmental fund, the Global Environment Facility. Currently, I am the State Department lead on circular economy, and U.S. lead on environmental finance in negotiations to establish a treaty on plastic pollution treaty, as well in ongoing efforts to establish an independent intergovernmental science-policy panel on pollution. Show less

  • Foreign Affairs Officer

    Jun 2019 - Jul 2024

  • Science and Technology Fellow - American Association for the Advancement of Science

    Jan 2018 - Jun 2019