Stephen Mainzer

Stephen Mainzer is a designer, educator, and researcher whose work engages a socio-ecological systems approach to exploring decision dynamics of coupled human and natural environments. He studies ways in which the biophysical landscape – urban form, physiography, and ecology – intersect with the behaviors of individuals and communities toward energy use, conservation, planning, and pro-environmental voting actions. His methods build upon six years of professional practice and a transdisciplinary Ph.D. degree to employ geographic information systems, statistics, and qualitative techniques that advocate for evidence-based strategies. Mainzer's comprehensive approach has been recognized by Architectural Research Centers Consortium’s National Dissertation Award and Penn State's Distinguished Dissertation Award.

Mainzer has taught across a nationally-ranked landscape architecture curriculum, with a focus on introductory design and communication and landscape systems studios.