Brooke McWherter
Research Assistant Professor
Area of Expertise: Plant Physiology, Weed, and Production Systems
B.S., Wildlife Biology, Missouri State University
M.S., Conservation Ecology and Environmental Justice, University of Michigan
Ph.D., Natural Resource Social Sciences, Purdue University
Area of Focus
Natural resource social sciences
Research Interests
McWherter is a natural resource social scientist and aims to leverage social science theories with mixed methods to support and build individual and organizational capacities in decision-making around natural resource and agricultural management. McWherter has worked with producers and organizational partners worldwide including South America, Canada and the USA. Her research is currently interested in (1) how individuals and organizations perceive the future of agricultural systems and their role in making those futures, (2) how systems thinking shapes individual and organizational adaptation and planning in response to socio-ecological change, and (3) what social impacts may result from natural resource and agricultural decisions, policies and programs. In addition to her research, McWherter has worked with numerous organizations and governmental agencies, leveraging systems thinking theory to conduct workshops aimed at enhancing program design and fostering engagement. Through the development of logic models, social impact frameworks, and success factors, she extends the application of her research to practical solutions within the natural resource and agricultural sectors.
Before starting at UNL, McWherter was a Mitacs post-doctoral fellow at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia Canada.