Lauren L. Bonilla

Welcome to my website!

I am a doctoral candidate and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (NSF-GRFP) in geography at Clark University.  My research interests lie in the human-environment tradition of geography.  I work to unite these two dimensions in my research, writing, and teaching, which is one of the many reasons I find geography such an exciting and integrative discipline to work in.

Mongolia has been at the heart of my educational and professional work since 2001. My experiences there drive me to consider questions of how environmental and social change intersects with larger processes of economic and political development.  I am currently writing my dissertation on the cultural and environmental stakes of Mongolia's very rapid shift to an extraction-based economy.  This research speaks to the key issues and challenges associated with extraction-based economies, and examines how the expansion of mining activities in Mongolia influences urban and rural livelihood dynamics, territorial politics, governance capabilities, and future possibilities. 

My dissertation draws on previous research I have done, and has also inspired new questions and interests (which can be found on the 'Projects' page).