Biography

Dr. Nikki Barry is a citizen of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall, Idaho and is also of Paiute and Irish descent. She is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Justice Education in the Department of Education at UCLA. Trained as a Learning Scientist, she researches: 1) the ways in which a community-based design research project supports Indigenous youth’s relationships with lands and waters, their cultural identity development, and well-being, 2) the cognition of human reasoning and decision-making regarding environmental issues, and 3) how teacher decision-making impacts learning about environmental issues. Nikki earned her PhD in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University, her MA in Teaching from Pacific University, and her BS in Sociology from Northeastern University. She is also a parent of three young children with one on the way and is a former middle and high school teacher.