Nicole Tichenor Blackstone
Assistant Professor
Nicole Tichenor Blackstone is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Nicole’s research focuses on developing and evaluating strategies to improve food system sustainability. Her work fuses industrial ecology, nutrition, and social science methods. To date, her research has explored the environmental and social implications of livestock agriculture, human diets, food waste management, and regional food systems. Current projects include estimating the risk of forced labor in the US produce supply and evaluating the relationship between diet quality, food waste, and agricultural resource use. Nicole also has active scholarship in sustainable food systems education. She is committed to inclusive and collaborative pedagogy, mentorship, and training.
Nicole earned her Ph.D. and M.S. from the Friedman School in the Agriculture, Food, and Environment program. During her graduate training, she was the recipient of multiple fellowships, including the Switzer Environmental Leadership Fellowship. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the University of Kansas. Nicole also has experience in food policy spanning the local to national levels, through previous positions with the Douglas County Food Policy Council (KS) and National Family Farm Coalition. She collaborates across disciplines and with stakeholders to co-create more equitable, just, and sustainable food systems.
Education
- Ph.D., 2016, Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
- M.S., 2012, Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
- B.A., 2009, Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Kansas
