Leadership for the
ECOZOIC

Liam is a Master of Science (M.S.) student in the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Community Development and Applied Economics (CDAE) department. Liam is both a funded research assistant through the CDAE program and the first M.S. student to become a Fellow of the Leadership for the Ecozoic (L4E) project. As a research assistant, Liam is working collaboratively with his direct advisor, Dr. Trisha Shrum, and co-advisor, Dr. Joshua Farley, to better understand how the intersection of social norms, identities, and emotions shapes the social construction of economic preferences - not only for individuals, but also entire groups. As an M.S. student and L4E fellow, Liam is laying the groundwork for his pursuit of a doctoral degree (PhD) in Sustainable Development, Policy, Economics, and Governance (SDPEG) at UVM. Broadly speaking, Liam is an aspiring ecological economist that is interested in the evolutionary and economic dynamics of human cooperation at the level of entire socio-ecological systems - with a particular fascination with how complex social arrangements and cultural structures impact the ways societies produce, allocate, and consume raw materials and energy.

Liam received his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree with honors from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) at Syracuse University (SU), with an official concentration in policy, planning, and law and research. As an honors researcher, Liam led a research project with his advisors investigating the normative dynamics behind international climate change policy - raising questions about how and why societies cooperate and compete.

Liam’s motivation to better understand human cooperation, and to design new norms, identities, and institutions that help facilitate it, is inspired by a comment made by Dutch historian, Rutger Bregman: “most people, deep down, are pretty decent.” Cooperation is humanity’s superpower that has allowed the species to conquer the globe - with both positive consequences and negative repercussions. When directed towards good, Humanity can use its cooperative instincts to forge an Ecozoic. Personally, without the kindness of others and his mentors - Dr. Joshua Farley, especially - Liam understands he would never be where he is. Thus, Liam’s work is truly about giving back and surfacing the good of humanity.

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