About

I am a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow (2024-2026) at Royal Roads University, working with Dr. Wolfe and our SEE Lab colleagues. I am a deeply interdisciplinary scholar, building from a background in social psychology, philosophy, social marketing, entrepreneurship, and pro-environmental behaviour change to focus my research interests on climate communication and behaviour, emotions, gender equity, and death care studies.

I examine why people make the choices they do about the environment and how fostering communities of care - recognizing the emotions involved in decision-making - can help us achieve sustainable and equitable planetary goals.

My Vanier CGS-funded dissertation determined human psychological responses to mortality reminders within water crisis (e.g., flooding, drought) communication (Smith & Wolfe, 2023; Smith & Wolfe, 2025) and how responses to these reminders can influence views of same or different gender water managers (Smith, Bergsieker, & Wolfe, submitted).

My MES - WATER (2017) in Sustainability Management evaluated a local household storm water management program compared to community-based social marketing best practices (Smith et al., 2019). I also founded and managed a cleantech startup (2017-2023) working to solve the microplastics problem - which was certainly a journey and tale best told over a beverage.

My current research interests center on sustainable and equitable dynamics in death practices (e.g., green burial adoption; care access and labour), climate emotions (particularly kama muta, the feeling of being moved), their intersection with pro-environmental behaviour, and investigating how to rebuild communities of care.

I also serve as Grants & Fundraising chair for the Collective for Radical Death Studies and am a member of the Science & Research Advisory Panel for the Green Burial Council.