Jillian Schacher

Profile

Current Research: 

I am a doctoral candidate with the Priestley International Centre for Climate Change and the Interdisciplinary Applied Ethics Centre, studying the development of climate service provision from an ethical standpoint. My research considers issues of inequality, regulation, and professional development in climate service provision, with the following questions as my focus: 

• Will increasing climate service privatization lead to inequality in climate change adaptation if only those who can afford access to these services benefit? 
• As a relatively new and rapidly developing field, should climate service provision be regulated and to what extent? 
• Should climate service provision be considered a true profession, with certification and accreditation? 

I am interested in exploring the comparative advantages of public vs. private climate service providers in the UK, and in examining their respective reach into marginalized or underprivileged communities. My research will include the development of an evaluative framework within which future climate service provision can be evaluated. 

Background: 

I come to environmental ethics with a background in quantitative marine research. I am trained in GIS and statistical analysis, with direct experience in climate change research through work with Sea Turtle, Inc. and the Coral Conservation Research Lab. During my time with the former, I worked as the project lead on a comprehensive study that analyzed over 20 years of the anthropogenic impacts affecting sea turtles and other marine life around South Padre Island in the Gulf of Mexico. I used ArcGIS and Excel to analyze the island’s recreational fishing, commercial shipping, island tourism, hazardous waste disposal, and weather data in conjunction with 26 years of Sea Turtle, Inc.’s recorded sea turtle strandings (e.g. stranding cause, location, species, physiology, mortality rate). I was able to determine high-risk activities and locations around the island, identify knowledge gaps and obsolete policies, and suggest mitigation efforts to help improve the island’s conservation, economy, and social well-being.

With the Coral Conservation Research Lab in Miami, I assisted research on ocean acidification and temperature rise in Caribbean coral reefs, and have further experience with the Dumond Conservancy (researching the social anointing behaviors of owl monkeys), the LeBlanc Research Lab (studying the fluorescence of the BSA lipid monolayer at the air-water interface), and Operation Wallacea (working as a Reef Ecology Lecturer in South Africa). Lastly, I enjoy volunteering, and have worked with the New England Aquarium, Foundation for a Green Future, MSPCA Animal Shelter, American Red Cross Food Pantry, Friends of Animal Rescue, Global Volunteers China, and Christmas in the City. 

Research interests

Climate change, climate services, applied ethics, public service privatization, natural resource management, marine spatial planning, integrated coastal zone management, coral reef systems, ocean acidification, marine biology, and geographic information systems.

Qualifications

• BSc in Marine Science & Biology
• MSc in Marine Affairs & Policy
• Earning: PhD in Climate Ethics

Research groups and institutes

• Sustainability Research Institute
• Climate Change Adaptation, Vulnerability and Services