His dissertation, now a book (in the Bard library) is "The Tiger and the Pangolin: Cultural Ecology, Landscape Ecology, and Nature Conservation in China's Southeast Uplands". His research interests include Political Ecology, Nature Conservation, Cultural Geography, Plant and Animal Habitat Restoration, Globalization Theory, Environmental Governance, Environmental History, Cultural Ecology, Biogeography, Protected Area Issues, Environmental Perception, Sustainable Development, the Social Construction of Nature, Landscape Ecology, China, East and Southeast Asia. He has led student research trips in Vermont and China.