Aida Bagheri

M.S. Student

____________

Aida was a Master’s student in the Chaves Lab from 2021-2024. Aida’s broad research interests include environmental justice, social-ecological systems, and policy implementation to support stewardship of the environment and human well-being. Her project at Virginia Tech focused on understanding factors that support historically underrepresented ethnoracial groups with their participation in outdoor recreation and environmental civic engagement.

Aida graduated from the University of Maryland with an interdisciplinary B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy. As an undergraduate student, Aida conducted legal research for environmental lawyers at the DOJ Environment and Natural Resources Division. Her social-ecological research interests began during her undergrad years as well when she began working at a sustainable agricultural systems lab in the US Department of Agriculture. Upon graduating, Aida continued her work at the USDA and collaborated with local farmers to conduct surveys and interviews to measure change in the cover crop information ecology and to develop community-based social marketing strategies to support cover crop adoption and persistence.

While her interest in sustainable agriculture did not stick, her passion for conservation social science did. In her free time, Aida enjoys backpacking with her dog, climbing, and floating on the New River.