Integrative Human-Environment Dynamics Lab
Science, society, and sustainability working together.
Connecting ecological science, social theory, field research, and systems modeling.
About the lab
The IHED Lab at Kentucky State University studies the complex connections between natural resources, ecosystems, institutions, and people.
Our interdisciplinary research addresses sustainability and resilience in socio-ecological systems, with special attention to marginalized and under-resourced communities.
We aim to generate actionable knowledge that helps communities and decision-makers respond to environmental challenges with inclusive, practical solutions.
Research focus
Our work brings together ecological science, social theory, field-based evidence, and systems modeling to understand sustainability challenges from multiple perspectives.
Investigating how land-use patterns, policy, population change, and environmental pressures shape landscapes and communities.
Examining the benefits people receive from ecosystems and how these benefits can be sustained for future generations.
Exploring farming systems and practices that support food security, environmental health, and long-term resilience.
Studying how institutions, policies, and communities make decisions about shared natural resources.
Developing knowledge to support responsible water conservation, watershed resilience, and resource planning.
Understanding unequal environmental impacts and supporting fair, inclusive solutions for under-resourced communities.
Our approach
Environmental challenges cross disciplinary and geographic boundaries. Our approach combines multiple forms of knowledge to produce research that can inform policy, strengthen communities, and support sustainable resource management.
Lab leadership
Dr. Suraj Upadhaya is an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Systems at Kentucky State University. His research focuses on socio-ecological sustainability, human dimensions of natural resource management, ecosystem services, land-use change, water resource conservation, and environmental policy.
Through interdisciplinary research, the lab seeks to understand the relationship between society and natural resources and to support sustainability solutions that benefit both people and nature.
