Brian Klein ‘08

This bio is current as of 2020.

Brian Ikaika Klein is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan, jointly appointed in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies and the Program in the Environment. He holds a PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. Klein’s research focuses on environmental governance and global development, especially in frontier settings across the Global South. His doctoral dissertation examined local-level natural resource management institutions in Madagascar’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector. At the center of this work is a commitment to producing policy-relevant research informed by interdisciplinary political-ecological analysis interested in achieving more equitable and sustainable outcomes for smallholder resource extractors and rural communities—in Madagascar, and across the globe. Prior to entering academia, Klein worked in Washington, DC at organizations including the World Bank, U.S. Peace Corps, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Madagascar from 2010-2012, and earned a B.A. in political science and international peace studies from the University of Notre Dame in 2008. He was born and raised in Hawai‘i—and tries to get back as frequently as possible.