Social Sciences Division
PhD Candidate
Graduate
Nat Sci 2 Main Building
477
No Mailstop
I am an agroecologist studying the ecology and social dynamics of coffee systems in Mexico and Hawaiʻi. My ecological research questions involve the influence of local and landscape factors on beneficial insects, with a particular emphasis on coffee management practices that promote natural pest control services. My political ecology work investigates how social and ecological pressures on coffee production influence farm management decisions and producer community.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
Agricultural Experiment Station Grant
Ford Foundation Honorable Mention
Heller Agroecology Grant
Jessica Roy Memorial Award
Global Food Initiative Ambassador
Graduate Pedagogy Fellowship
Animal Behavioral Society Conservation Award
Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research
Cowal, S., Morris, J. R., Jiménez-Soto, E., & Philpott, S. M. (2023). Naturally Occurring Vegetation Connectivity Facilitates Ant-Mediated Coffee Berry Borer Removal. Insects, 14(11), 869.
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/11/869
Del-Val, E., Philpott, S. M., Lucatero, A., Fowler, R., Cowal, S., & Hsu, J. (2023). The importance of insect pest biocontrol for maize production: an expert survey. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 47(9), 1271-1292.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2023.2239724
Le, Q. V., Cowal, S., Jovanovic, G., & Le, D. T. (2021). A Study of Regenerative Farming Practices and Sustainable Coffee of Ethnic Minorities Farmers in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.712733/full
Le, Q. V., Jovanovic, G., Le, D. T., & Cowal, S. (2020). Understanding the Perceptions of Sustainable Coffee Production: A Case Study of the K’Ho Ethnic Minority in a Small Village in Lâm Đồng Province of Vietnam. Sustainability, 12(3), 1010.
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/3/1010