Scott Odell, Program Scientist

Scott is a program scientist at the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI), where he leads the Program on Mining and the Circular Economy. He investigates environmental justice concerns of mining for the clean energy transition, and how these affect and are affected by broader global trends of development and consumption. He has active research projects in Latin America, the United States, and the Arctic.

Scott’s research has been funded by the Sloan Foundation, Inter-American Foundation, MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS), and MIT Sloan Latin America Office (MSLAO). Prior to his current role, he taught courses on climate change, environmental justice, and human-environment geography as a visiting assistant professor at George Washington University. He also completed postdoctoral work at MIT’s ESI, served as a resident tutor at Harvard University, and worked as a program associate at the Inter-American Dialogue. He has a PhD and MA from the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University and a Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA) from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, playing and listening to music, cross-country skiing, backpacking, and cooking.

You may view more details about Scott’s research, publications, and university teaching on his webpage, http://scottdodell.com.