Master’s Admissions

Kelly McGlinchey ’23 MEM views  kelp not only as a nutrient-dense food option,  but also as a tool for building climate resilience and advancing sustainable coastal community development. As a student at the Yale School of Environment, she  co-authored a report, ‘Surf to Turf,’ that bridged the gap between regenerative agriculture and restorative aquaculture and directly informed local infrastructure planning in Stonington, Connecticut. Her research helped secure a $172,000 USDA grant to expand kelp processing capacity, benefiting both land and sea farmers. Now a sustainability strategist at Quantis, McGlinchey continues to advise global food brands while remaining deeply committed to strengthening regional food systems through partnership, innovation, and place-based solutions.

As program director for the Smokey House Center in Vermont, Walker Cammack ‘22 MF is helping redefine land stewardship by advancing research in forest farming, climate-adaptive maple syrup production, green building, and regenerative agriculture. His work emphasizes employing regional solutions — developed alongside local farmers, foresters, and researchers — to build ecological and economic resilience. 

“We’re trying to do real work that helps people on a very local and regional scale, which is so nuanced and often chaotic in these volatile times we’re existing in, and it feels like YSE prepared me really well to be able to handle that,” Cammack said.

At YSE, Hardik Pokhrel ’21 MEM focused on the intersection of finance and energy.

“One of the most impactful experiences I had was the ‘Renewable Energy Project Finance’ course — it remains incredibly relevant to what I do every day. Courses like ‘Renewable Energy and Energy Systems,’ combined with the school’s network and resources, prepared me to take on the challenges of decarbonizing some of the most emissions-intensive sectors of the economy.”

Pokhrel says he regularly applies the skills he acquired at YSE in his work at Sol Systems, a renewable energy firm delivering sustainable solutions for corporations, utilities, and institutions.

For Maxwell Webster ’17 MEM, parks have always been more than places to play — they’re spaces for connection, creativity, and self-care. As the new director of New Haven Parks , he is leading efforts to reimagine parks as centers of climate resilience, food production, and community support, while preserving their role as beloved neighborhood gathering spots. Rooted in both personal experience and professional training from the Yale School of the Environment, his vision is focused on equity, adaptability, and meeting the evolving needs of New Haven’s diverse communities.

Goal: Generate and communicate science to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity

Ecuador, where Sofía Montalvo is from, is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. Climate change, however, is exerting intense pressure on many of the country’s ecosystems. Forest habitats are disappearing due to local extractive economies. 

“Ecuador has many excellent people and a lot of potential, but we need someone to offer encouragement and support to get different environmental projects going,” Montalvo says. “I want to be that person.”

Water is fundamental to public health, food supplies, and energy production, and therefore vital to national security. Kelsey Semrod ’16 MESc, a water resilience program manager with the Office of the Assistant Secretary worked to establish the first comprehensive water security program for the Navy. Now, as a senior scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, she supports the Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DOD) on water resilience issues, including leading water resources management training for DOD and DOE utility managers and supporting a new water and energy resilience program for DOE's Water Power Technology Office. 

Goal: Lead thoughtful siting processes for a rapid, equitable build-out of green energy infrastructure

As an urban studies student at Yale-NUS College, Angela Ferguson ’25 MEM/MBA focused on how to make places more livable — and climate change has to be factored into that equation.

Referencing research by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Ferguson said, “The climate crisis worsens many other issues, whether it's socioeconomic inequality, racial disparities, or disease burden. The question is, how we can meet human needs while remaining within our planetary boundaries.”

Goal: Model climate-related disturbance and integrate forest management strategies to develop nature-based climate solutions

Forest restoration through sustainable management practices in Nepal can advance nature-based climate solutions. Forest fires in the country, however, are altering composition and growth rates and making forests more vulnerable to disease. There were more than 5,000 wildfires in Nepal in 2024, and climate models predict the country will face more frequent drought conditions. 

Bishwabandhu Acharya ’26 MFS is researching how disturbances such as fires impact the health and regenerative capabilities of forests. 

Goal: Work on renewable energy solutions to transform industry and government, thereby, helping his home state achieve the goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040

Ethan Cypull ’24 MEM first glimpsed the effects of climate change at age 12, when he listened to his parents talking on the phone to family members in the Philippines whose homes and livelihoods were devastated by a typhoon. 

“That introduced me to the idea that these types of natural disasters are only going to get worse,” he said.