Alark Saxena 

Dr. Alark Saxena 

I am an Associate Professor of Forestry at the School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University. A forester at heart, some of the labels that I use are social-ecologist, complex system scientist, systems modeler, and rural livelihoods specialist.  I aim to conduct Use-Inspired Fundamental Research i.e. conducting cutting-edge research that directly contributes to the well-being of people and the planet. This translates to research areas associated with sustainable natural resource management, climate change resilience, rural livelihoods, and poverty alleviation. Particularly, I am interested in mainstreaming forest and forest-based solutions in climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, food security, and other development processes of vulnerable communities.  Theoretically, I use complex adaptive systems, social-ecological systems, human behavior and systems-thinking approaches to create an integrated understanding of our coupled, dynamic, complex and adaptive world. In my approach toward research, I am driven by the question rather than my disciplinary training and I do not shy away from using methods, tools, and techniques that may not be within my range of expertise. In other words, I am agnostic to disciplines and am willing to learn, merge and use any sets of approaches (irrespective of their disciplinary origin) that will be effective in finding the answer to the questions. 

My research is spread across the world. I have worked in South and Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western and Central Europe. In the Himalaya, my work is focused on developing indicators for transboundary flood resilience between Nepal and India. I have also been working on understanding the impact of tourism on the local natural resources, culture, and livelihoods in the Sagarmatha National Park (Mt. Everest region) in Nepal. 

My teaching is based on the fundamental belief that we all have lived experiences that can directly contribute to solving the major challenges that the world faces today. My courses are directed toward creating and generating passion in students to learn more about the topics that I teach. I teach courses across Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management, Critical and Systems Thinking, Understanding and evaluating resilience, and Modeling a dynamic world. 

Before starting my current position, i have taught at Yale NUS in Singapore, Aarhus University in Denmark, and Yale School of Environment. I have served as the Program Director of Yale Himalaya Initiative. Prior to finishing my doctorate, I directed the Disaster Risk Reduction Initiative at the Yale Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry. I graduated from the Indian Institute of Forest Management and worked with the MP Forest Department in India. I was responsible for developing alternative livelihood projects for forest villages in central India. 

In my extracurriculars, I have competed and won International Karate Championships. I have bred and trained Dobermans. I love riding motorcycles and playing squash and "trying" to finish up my Private Pilot license. Spiritually, I am an avid practitioner of Raja Yoga and a student of Indian Vedant, Sankhya  and Yoga philosophies. 

I live in the beautiful city of Flagstaff which is situated at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, and on homelands sacred to Native Americans throughout the region. I live with my wife Dr. Alder Keleman Saxena and two adorable and spunky kids