BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs is pleased to announce Landon Yoder as the next Janet Duey Professor of Rural Land Policy at the school.
Yoder joined the O’Neill School as an assistant professor in 2019 after two years as a post-doctoral fellow at IU, studying intensively managed landscapes. He is trained as a human-environment geographer and focuses on how farmers, government, and society cooperate to navigate tradeoffs between agricultural production and conservation, with an emphasis on water quality. His work combines both social and natural science data and spatial analysis to examine how biophysical conditions, social dynamics, and institutional arrangements jointly influence environmental change.
“It is rare that a named professorship is awarded to an assistant professor, but Landon’s work has been exceptional, and he is richly deserving of the honor,” said Siân Mooney, dean of the O’Neill School. “His dedication to environmental policy is exemplary, and we’re looking forward to his continued leadership.”
Yoder earned his Ph.D. in geography and his MPA with a focus on economic development and policy analysis from Indiana University. At the undergraduate level, he studied history at Goshen College.
“It’s an honor to be named the Janet Duey Professor in Rural Land Policy,” Yoder said. “One of the aspects of my research that I most appreciate is the chance to learn from farmers, conservation professionals, and public servants who work hard to balance agricultural productivity with environmental sustainability. With the professorship, my goal is to continue to undertake research that can benefit farming communities and protect the environment.”
The Janet Duey professorship is awarded to the scholar and teacher who best embodies a commitment to rural land preservation such as the promotion of efforts to enhance rural land reclamation, affect changes in state and national water policies, and advance rural land policy issues.