About
As a Visiting Fellow in Global Development, Sarah Michelle Alexander investigates the social landscape of flood risk and the emergence of climate change-induced migration in New York State. Her research interests broadly focus on environmental sociology and the social construction of the environment.
Sarah received her Ph.D. in Development Sociology from Cornell University. Her master's thesis examined the rise of the bottled water industry and the commodification of water. Her dissertation explored in-home drinking water behavior in New York City households. Engaging a mixed-methods approach, she considered the influence of habit, salience, information, and social norms in relation to behavior (i.e., whether people choose to drink unfiltered tap water, filtered tap water, or bottled water), spotlighting the interplay of trust and social class as more and more New Yorkers opt out of the public water provision system.
