Dr. Melissa Poe leads the social science program at Washington Sea Grant, and is a liaison with NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Melissa brings over fifteen years of applied research on community-based natural resource management in the Pacific Northwest. Melissa earned Ph.D. (2009) and M.A. (2004) in Environmental Anthropology at the University of Washington; with additional training in geography and sociology (B.A).

Melissa is currently collaborating with interdisciplinary scientists to define, identify, and assess social and cultural interactions with coastal and marine ecosystems. She leads three key areas of research: (a) human well-being and sociocultural vulnerabilities associated with ocean change; (b) subsistence and cultural practices of marine food and fishing systems; and (c) methods for integrating indigenous and local knowledge and social information in ecosystem-based management.

Areas of Specialization

• Social and cultural dimensions of coasts, oceans and forests
• Human well-being indicators for integrated ecosystem assessments
• Social vulnerabilities and resilience to ocean change
• Indigenous and local knowledges 
• Subsistence practices and wild food systems
• Applying anthropology, ethnoecology, political ecology, and cultural geography approaches to environmental problems through community-based participatory action research