Mele Wheaton

Dr. Mele Wheaton serves as Associate Director of Program Strategy for Stanford's Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER), bringing extensive expertise in environmental education and conservation research. Her academic foundation includes a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies and a PhD in Education with emphasis in Science and Math from UC Santa Cruz. Before her academic career, she worked as a field biologist and taught environmental education across Alaska, Arizona, and California. Her research portfolio spans environmental behavior change, nature-based tourism impact studies in the Galapagos and California, and initiatives promoting equity in conservation education. At Stanford, she teaches several graduate-level courses including "E-IPER Current Topics Seminar," "Graduate Practicum in Environment and Resources," and "Introduction to Interdisciplinary Environmental Research and Practice." Dr. Wheaton has earned notable recognition including the Chancellor's Dissertation Year Fellowship and the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation Fellowship. Her recent work includes developing innovative environmental education programs and co-creating a design thinking-based course for environmental educators through Stanford's Social Ecology Lab