Dan has focused on research, practice, and teaching in multiple locations and scales including projects in China, Turkey, the U.S. Pacific Northwest, New York State and the Gulf Coast. His current efforts are focused on developing research and pedagogical approaches on various topics germane to Food and the Built Environment such as, a) Food, Energy and Water Systems (FEWS) analysis, b) landscape scenario planning and Geodesign through applications of GIS, c) digital twin development, and d) design and planning of agricultural and urban best management practices.

Dan’s previous research involves scenario modeling and planning which aligns stakeholder perspectives and researcher-based trajectories of change for National Research Foundation (NSF) funded research projects: Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water Systems (INFEWS), Genomics by Environment (GEM3), and a sub-award for land use Scenario Modeling. Dan has also contributed to research efforts with a number of agencies and foundations including Americorps, Metlife Foundation, National Park Service (NPS), and UNESCO.

His work and course instruction are comprised of an Alternative Futures Analysis using a scenario modeling framework through geospatial narratives and tools: Web-based geospatial applications, digital twins, and scenario & climate atlases.

The scenario-based land use projections are intended to provide guidance for community planning and a framework for future development in socio-ecological systems, specifically food systems within the urban and rural context. With the School of Design and Construction at WSU, Dan intends to continue to apply similar and novel concepts of scenario planning for food and the built environment for Northwest communities and regional-scale networks.