Alexandra Thorn
Lecturer
Dr. Alexandra Thorn as part-time Lecturer in the Division of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Dr. Thorn teaches courses in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Food Systems modeling, with particular interests in systems dynamics ecosystem and crop modeling and interdisciplinary stakeholder-based research. She began teaching Fundamentals of GIS at Friedman in Fall 2019, and has subsequently taken on a course on Food Systems modeling and is currently leading a project-based directed study on agricultural modeling.
Prior to taking on the Fundamentals of GIS course, she used GIS to model biophysical capacity for ruminant meat production in the Northeastern U.S., as part of an interdisciplinary project on grass-based meat supply chains in the region. Her previous research has included modeling future land cover scenarios for New Hampshire, a transdisciplinary project incorporating input from local stakeholders across multiple sectors.
Dr. Thorn has strong interests in modeling local food systems, and in supporting students who want to incorporate crop or ecosystem modeling into their studies and research at Friedman. Dr. Thorn lives in Somerville, is a year-round bicycle commuter, and loves nature observation and an assortment of crafts activities.