Matt Burgess is an assistant professor in environmental studies, with a courtesy appointment in economics. He is also a fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and a faculty fellow of the Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization. His research interests are broad, but these days largely focus on exploring possible economic growth futures and their implications for the environment and society, strategies to reduce political polarization of environmental issues and mathematical modeling of human-environment systems. He uses a combination of mathematical and computer modeling, data synthesis and collaboration with stakeholders to make conceptual advances and link them to practice.