Policy Analyst and Community Engagement Lead, Bridge Initiative for Science & Technology Policy, Leadership, and Communications
Dr. Eastman is a policy analyst and community engagement lead for the Bridge Initiative for Science & Technology Policy, Leadership, and Communications. She is applying her expertise in forest ecology and carbon storage to current local, state, and federal policies and programs that consider the carbon sequestration potential of forests and other natural lands. Her role at the Bridge Initiative spans a wide breadth of research synthesis, as well as stakeholder engagement and science communication. She is excited about the opportunity to use science to inform policy, and to involve the community in research and decision-making processes that will equitably improve the health of the people and environment of West Virginia.
Dr. Eastman is also a Forest Ecology and Carbon Storage Research Fellow in the Department of Biology. She received her Ph.D. in Biology at West Virginia University, where she studied forest ecology and how human activities impact forest health and carbon storage. She continues this work as a research fellow, focusing on how different forest management practices influence soil carbon storage and how to model recent advances in the understanding of soil carbon cycling.
Degrees
- Xavier University, Environmental Science, BS 2013
- Xavier University, Spanish, BA 2013
- West Virginia University, Biology (Forest Ecology), PhD 2022