Faculty

 James Landry is the associate dean for undergraduate studies and associate professor of natural science. His area of research is currently focused on the Ballona Wetlands. The wetlands fill with runoff water from the city after it rains. Landry, along with students, measures the metal pollutant concentration collected in that water. The water is then analyzed for pollutants and metals that precipitate to the bottom; ultimately, the fresh water moves out to the ocean and the Santa Monica bay. Read more .



Brian Treanor is an assistant professor of philosophy at Loyola Marymount University (2003-present). His areas of specialization include "green" living/environmental living/sustainable living, environmental ethics and environmental virtue. He has also been named as Chair of the new Environmental Studies Minor being offered beginning Spring 2009.

 John Dorsey , associate professor of natural science, teaches environmental science courses in the Department of Natural Sciences and co-teaches the Environmental Laboratory Class. He is presently conducting pollution research in coastal wetland, intertidal and inshore marine areas. He is President of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, chair of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, and is a member of the Clean Beach Task Force for the State of California.


Pippa Drennan is an associate professor of biology  with expertise in Improving/Maintaining the Environment .  She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Friends of Ballona. Her research interests encompass adaptations of plants to stressful environments, ecology of deserts and estuaries, and the function relationships of plant structure. She teaches plant biology and ecology, and frequently involves her students in special projects in the Ballona Wetlands.


 Jeremy Pal , assistant professor of civil engineering and environmental science, is among the contributing authors on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes (IPCC), an international collaboration of scientists that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. The IPCC report states most of the global warming to date is “very likely” caused by man and that it is “virtually certain” to continue in the future. The report defines the scientific uncertainties concerning the extent, impacts and timing of global warming. Experts claim the IPCC is the most definitive scientific assessment of global warming to date.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised the group of international scientists and Gore “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change.” Prior to joining the LMU faculty Pal worked for the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, an agency that operates under two United Nations Agencies in Trieste, Italy with the mission to foster the growth of research in developing nations.

Pal has also recently co-authored two nationally recognized articles on the impacts of climate change in North America.  Read more.


Eric Stauss is a new Presidential Professor in the Biology Department, with a specialty in Urban Ecology.  Professor Strauss comes to us from Boston College where he has served for 15 years as the Founding Director of Environmental Studies and a faculty member in the Biology Department. With research specialties in animal behavior, urban ecosystem dynamics and science education, Eric has extended the model for faculty activities by helping to co-found the Urban Ecology Institute in Boston, which provides educational, research and restoration programs to underserved neighborhoods and their residents. His team has been awarded over $7M in funding from the National Science Foundation to conduct urban ecology research, implement interdisciplinary secondary school ecology programs and develop the first national urban ecology curriculum for high school students.  In addition, Dr. Strauss is the Founding Editor of a web-based peer-reviewed journal, Cities and the Environment, which is funded in part by the USDA Forest Service.


Edmund Gray is a professor of management in the College of Business Administration and teaches a number of courses related to sustainability.  Recent courses include Environmental Strategy, Sustainability and Environmental Issues in Business, and most recently he guided a group of MBA students on a year-long research project analyzing sustainability practices in Latin American banks.  He is the author of numerous articles and case studies, and is currently publishing a book on social entrepreneurship on conjunction with LMU's Dr. David Choi.