Lee May (Environmental Studies)

Dr. Lee May is an assistant professor of Environmental Studies, joining the faculty in 2025. He is originally from Roanoke, Virginia, and holds a B.A. in Geography from James Madison University and a Ph.D. in Ecology & Conservation Biology from Texas A&M University. Dr. May teaches Environment & Society, Principles of Sustainability, Field Methods, History & Ecology of Fire, and the senior capstone.

Dr. May is a political ecologist and environmental historian whose research examines the social origins of “natural” disasters, as well as the history, politics, and social perceptions of land cover classification, with a focus on wildfire in grassland and savanna ecosystems. He has published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire and Rangeland Ecology & Management and his book manuscript, Planting a Fire: How Science & Society Facilitated a Destructive Wildfire in the Great Plains of Texas, is currently under review.