Leah Jones-Crank

Dr. Leah Jones-Crank is an Assistant Professor in Environment, Resources, and Sustainability. As an interdisciplinary sustainability scholar, her research employs qualitative data collection and analysis methods to understand water systems, governance challenges, and urban spaces. Her work investigates collaborative governance within the water-energy-food nexus for improved management and sustainability. The goal of her research program is to advance knowledge on cross-sectoral governance approaches to address challenges of drought and water stress in urban and peri-urban spaces. Her work has employed a variety of social science methods, including stakeholder engagement, case study investigation, institutional analysis, and qualitative inquiry. She has fieldwork experience in cities in the Southwestern US, South Africa, and Singapore. Her current research focuses on investigating stakeholder perspectives on water, agriculture, and environmental systems in the Long Point Biosphere.

Dr. Jones-Crank is actively involved in the International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR), on the board of the Water Resources Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), and on the scientific programme committee of World Water Week 2025. She also serves on the editorial board of Environmental Science & Policy.

• Water-energy-food nexus

• Water resources

• Collaborative governance

• Stakeholder engagement

• Qualitative methods

• Sustainability

• 2021, Doctorate, Sustainability, Arizona State University, USA

• 2019, Masters of Science, Sustainability, Arizona State University, USA

• 2014, Bachelors of Science, Environmental Science, University of Virginia, USA

• 2024 - present Associate Editor, Environmental Science and Policy

• 2024 - 2026 Director, Water Resources Specialty Group of the AAG

• 2025 Young Scientific Programme Committee (YSPC) member of Stockholm World Water Week

• American Association of Geographers (AAG)

• International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR)

• ERS 215 - Environmental and Sustainability Assessment 1
  • Taught in 2024
• ERS 302 - Research Methods and Design
  • Taught in 2025
• ERS 365 - Water Governance
  • Taught in 2023, 2024, 2025
• ERS 401 - Translational Ecology
  • Taught in 2024, 2025

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.