Understanding and Addressing Research Fatigue in Rural Communities

Julia Haggerty is Associate Professor of Geography in the Department of Earth Sciences at Montana State University and holds a joint appointment in the Montana Institute on Ecosystems. She received a BA from Colorado College in Liberal Arts and a PhD from the University of Colorado in History. At MSU, Haggerty teaches courses in human and resource geography and supervises graduate students working with her Resources & Communities Research Group. Funded by a diverse portfolio of external grants, the RCRG works to understand the ways rural communities respond to shifting economic and policy trajectories, especially as they involve land and natural resource use. Haggerty has expertise in diverse rural geographies including those shaped by energy development, extractive industries, ranching and agriculture, and amenity development and conservation. Partnerships and collaboration with diverse stakeholders are central to her research approach. Haggerty participates in several national and international forums for research coordination and synthesis as part of her commitment to ensuring the greatest possible social benefit of research funding and activity. Prior to joining MSU, Haggerty was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Otago in New Zealand (2005-2007) and a policy analyst with Headwaters Economics in Bozeman, Montana (2008-2013).

Dr. Haggerty is assisted in this module by Kristin Smith, a PhD candidate in geography in the Department of Earth Sciences at Montana State University and program coordinator at Headwaters Economics. Her research interests include economic geography, rural development, and regional governance.