Team

Elise Laugier, PI

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environment and Society at Utah State University with broad interests in archaeology and paleoecology, land-use change, and remote sensing. My research examines long-term land-use practices, resilience strategies, and their legacy effects in dryland regions. I am also interested in the cultural and botanical heritage of Western Asia and the Western USA. My Ph.D. is from Dartmouth College in Ecology, Evolution, Environment, & Society (EEES). Prior to joining USU, I was an NSF SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Rutgers University.

Current Students

Graduate

Incoming Fall 2025

Undergraduate

Incoming Fall 2025

Alumni

Sydnee Jensen ('25), UG Research Assistant and QCNR Funded Researcher; Sydnee is now pursuing an MSc in Environment and Society at Utah State University
Robb Young ('24), URCO Funded Researcher; after USU, Robb is pursuing a MSc in Social and Geographic Data Science at University College of London

Research Opportunities

Graduate

The LEGASYS Lab is not currently accepting PhD students. Students interested in an MS degree should reach out via email.

Undergraduate

The LEGASYS Lab has several research opportunities for USU undergraduate students interested in gaining research experience in geospatial science or paleoecology. Please contact Dr. Elise Laugier for more information.