A political economist for agriculture

Water | Land-Use | Institutions

About me

My name is Nate Barton (M.P.P., M.S., M.A.).

As a PhD candidate in the Political Science department at the University of California at Riverside (UCR), I examine the nexus of climate change, agriculture, and the state.

Some of my current projects examine water rights and inequality, California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), and theories of institutional change. My dissertation examines how property-right regimes respond to ecological crises. My C.V. is linked above, and please feel free to reach out with collaboration opportunities.

  • Researcher, California Institute of Water Resources (UC ANR), 2025-present

    Teaching and Research Assistant, University of California at Riverside, 2022-present

    • NSF Fellow, SPEAKS Graduate Student Research Traineeship, funded by the National Science Foundation

    • Graduate-Student Researcher (GSR), Labor and Automation in California Agriculture (LACA) multi-campus research program initiative, funded by the UC Office of the President

    • Associate Instructor, Politics and Economic Policy (POSC 182F)

    • Teaching Assistant (4 appointments)

    Climate Corps Fellow, Santa Monica College’s Sustainability Center, 2022

    Adjunct Professor (5 appointments), Pepperdine University, 2018, 2021-2024

    Adjunct Professor (2 appointments), Lipscomb University, 2019-2021

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    Selected non-academic work:

    • Creative Director, Kibo Group International (Jinja, Uganda)

    • Creative Director, Pepperdine Graphic Media (Malibu, California)

    • Intern and reporter, Today’s Zaman Newspaper (Istanbul, Turkey)

  • Ph.D (in progress), Political Science, University of California at Riverside

    Expected completion: 2028

    M.A., Political Science, University of California at Riverside, 2024

    M.S., Sustainability, Lipscomb Institute of Sustainable Practice, 2021

    M.P.P., Public Policy, Pepperdine School of Public Policy, 2018

    • I am based in Riverside, California with my spouse, Falon, and my son, Soren.

    • I lived in Uganda for nearly a decade

    • I’ve visited more than 30 countries, including a semester in Vienna and summers in Buenos Aires and Istanbul.

    • I once rode my bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

    • I own eight instruments and play Bluegrass

    • I previously worked as a professional designer and photographer.

My work has been funded by …

  • Southern California Edison

  • The University of California Office of the President (UCOP)

  • The National Science Foundation

  • California Institute of Water Resources (CIWR)