Paige West is Claire Tow Professor of Anthropology at

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

. She also serves on the faculty of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. She earned a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2021.

Biography

West received her B.A. from

Wofford College Wofford College is a private liberal arts college in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It was founded in 1854. The campus is a national arboretum and one of the few four-year institutions in the southeastern United States founded before the America ...

, her M.A. from

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, and her Ph.D. from

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

. She joined the faculty of

and Columbia University in 2001 after graduating from Rutgers. Her scholar interest lies in the relationship between societies and their environments, focusing on the linkages between environmental conservation and international development. She has carried out fieldwork in a number of countries, most notably in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. West is also affiliated with the

Earth Institute {{Infobox organization , name = The Earth Institute , image = Ei blue1.gif , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , map2 = , type = , tax_id ...

. She is the founder of the journal ''Environment and Society: Advances in Research'' and served as its editor from 2009 to 2019''.'' West was

's commencement speaker in 2016. In 2021, West was also recognized by

The Explorers Club The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904, and has served as a meeting point fo ...

as one of the 50 explorers changing the world.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Paige Living people Wofford College alumni University of Georgia alumni Rutgers University alumni Columbia University faculty Barnard College faculty Year of birth missing (living people)