As a landscape planner Dr. Aaron Thompson's teaching and research focus on using applied social-ecological science to achieve better decision making at the interface of land use planning and natural resource management. Prior to joining Purdue's Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture he served as an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens point and a land use specialist with UW-Extension where he worked with community, government, and non-profit partners to support collaborative planning statewide. He holds three degrees from Purdue University, including: Ph.D. in Natural Resource Social Science (2010), M.S. in Natural Resource Planning (2007), and B.Sc. in Landscape Architecture (2002). His research explores what motivates landowners to engage in conservation efforts, uses spatial analysis and geodesign techniques to visualize and respond to changing land use, and identifies pathways for improving stakeholder participation across three primary areas, including: landscape preservation and stewardship, human dimensions of water resource management, and sustainable community development.