R. Patrick Bixler

R. Patrick Bixler
Associate Professor

Research Areas

Climate Change Adaptation
Environmental Governance
Governing/Managing Public and Civic Affairs

Teaching Areas

Environmental and Energy Policy
Management and Leadership (including Nonprofits)
Research and Empirical Methods

R. Patrick Bixler is an associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs researching and teaching at the intersection of social and environmental science, addressing resilience challenges from Austin to Africa. He leads the Sustainability Science, Policy, and Governance research group, which uses mixed-method approaches to investigate complex human-environment dynamics, revealing the values, social structures, networks and institutional logics related to adaptation. Professor Bixler co-chairs Planet Texas 2050, co-leads one of its Flagship Projects, co-founded the UT–City Climate CoLab in partnership with the City of Austin, and has a courtesy appointment with Community and Regional Planning, Earth and Energy Resources in Geosciences, and the RGK Center. 

His research spans network governance, urban climate and multi-hazard modeling, social vulnerability, and international water security, with more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and over $3 million in support from NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Texas Water Development Board, and philanthropic foundations.

He teaches courses on climate adaptation, sustainability science, program evaluation, and collaborative governance.

Recent Publications
Boundary crossing for urban community resilience: A social vulnerability and multi-hazard approach in Austin, Texas, USA
A Process-Oriented Model of Decision-Making toward Landscape-Scale Prescribed Fire Implementation in the Southern Great Plains, USA
Unpacking Adaptive Capacity to Flooding in Urban Environments: Social Capital, Social Vulnerability, and Risk Perception
Fertile soil for organic public sociology: Community-based natural resource management
Pathways to urban sustainability through individual behaviors: The role of social capital
Reframing urban governance for resilience implementation: The role of network closure and other insights from a network approach

Courses Taught
Spring - 63119 - P A 680PB - EVALUATING DISASTER NETWORK
Fall - 65860 - P A 385D - SUSTAINABILITY, SCIENCE, POLICY, AND GOVERNMENT
Fall - 66180 - P A 397C - PROGRAM EVALUATION FOR SOCIAL IMPACT
Spring - 60282 - PA 385D - COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE
Spring - 60259 - PA 680PB - ASSESSING AND PREPARING FOR EXTREME WEATHER
Fall - 65430 - P A 385D - SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE, POLICY, AND GOVERNANCE
Fall - 65735 - P A 397C - PROGRAM EVALUATION FOR SOCIAL IMPACT
Fall - 60050 - P A 680PA - Assessing and Preparing for Extreme Weather & Climate Improvement
Spring - 60155 - PA 384F - COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE
Spring - 60175 - PA 384F - SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE, POLICY, AND GOVERNANCE
Fall - 61079 - P A 384F - Mobilizing Communities and Engaging Volunteers
Fall - 61350 - P A 397C - PROGRAM EVALUATION FOR SOCIAL IMPACT
Spring - 59324 - PA 388K - Sustainability Governance
Spring - 59385 - PA 388L - Mobilizing Community and Engaging Volunteers
Fall - 61070 - PA 397C - PROGRAM EVALUATION FOR SOCIAL IMPACT
Spring - 60755 - PA 388L - Mobilizing the Community and Engaging Volunteers
Fall - 61067 - PA 388L - Collaborative Governance
Fall - 61215 - PA 397C - Nonprofit Program Eval
Spring - 58525 - PA 388L - Mobilizing Community and Engaging Volunteers
Fall - 59235 - PA 397C - Program Evaluation for Nonprofit, Public, and Social Impact Initiatives
Spring - 60234 - PA 388L - Mobilizing the Community and Engaging Volunteers
Fall - 59534 - PA 397C - Program Evaluation for Nonprofit, Public, and Social Impact Initiatives
Spring - 60877 - PA 388L - Mobilizing the Community and Engaging Volunteers
Contact Information
Curriculum Vitae

Website

https://sites.utexas.edu/rpbixler/