J. Nicolas Hernandez-Aguilera
Associate Research Scientist and Lecturer
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Dr. J. Nicolas Hernandez-Aguilera is an Associate Research Scientist and Lecturer at Yale School of the Environment. His research contributes to expanding analysis and tools for community sensing, climate services, and sustainable food systems with a particular emphasis on rural communities in the Global South. As an applied and interdisciplinary researcher, he generated frameworks and models to scale local knowledge and smallholders’ perceptions, leading to ground-based policies and instruments for climate risk management, alternative business models, land management practices, and biodiversity conservation in tropical crops. His work has been published in Nature Sustainability, Ecological Economics, Business Strategies, and the Environment, and Games, among others. Dr. Hernandez-Aguilera teaches the course Food Systems and Climate Services during the fall semester.
Prior to joining the Yale Faculty, he worked as a Columbia Climate School Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Financial Instruments team and the Columbia World Projects. His Ph.D. is from Cornell University, where he modeled profitable agroecological coffee systems to incentivize product quality recognition and bird and forest conservation. He is a J. William Fulbright Scholar recipient through which he advanced his Master in Public Policy at the University of Pittsburgh with an emphasis on research and the environment in Latin America. Before beginning his career as an applied economist and interdisciplinary social scientist, he worked at the Central Bank of Colombia modeling cash and macro demand variables using machine learning and neural networks. Originally from Colombia, South America, he enjoys bridging deep rurality and top academia, facilitating experiential learning, mutual growth, and community-based research between scholars, students, practitioners, and smallholders.
The pressing challenges of climate change, rural poverty, and biodiversity loss have been the driving force behind my career. I am passionate about bridging the divide between academic research and real-world applications in rural communities. Through applied research in Latin America and Africa, my research program aims to design innovative community sensing frameworks, develop effective climate services, and promote sustainable food systems. These initiatives not only enhance the research findings but also build strong collaborations with local organizations. My ultimate goal is to create scalable solutions that address the interconnected issues of climate change, agricultural sustainability, and rural development for marginalized communities.
My work in community-based research and interdisciplinary collaborations has led to impactful peer-reviewed publications, significant media and industry coverage, and the development of adaptable tools. Some of my notable achievements include studies on alternative business models that connect smallholders to global markets, the economic and ecological benefits of shade-grown coffee systems, and advocating for support of early-career scholars in interdisciplinary fields (e.g., Nature Sustainability, 2021; Ecological Economics, 2019). In addition to my publications, I have been motivated by the complex spatial and temporal factors involved in engaging communities in applied research. This has inspired me to create new methods and pilot flexible community-sensing tools that integrate both innovative and familiar technologies for farmers. One example is the iKON platform on WhatsApp, which provides information on real climate impacts. This work ultimately improves climate risk assessments and helps foster resilient and adaptable rural communities.
My methodological approach combines both qualitative and quantitative data, supported by extensive fieldwork and research at the community level. It involves collaboration with students and colleagues from various disciplines who are eager to gain first-hand experience working with local communities. This approach aligns with my commitment to promoting more inclusive and diverse academic environments that acknowledge the unique needs for actionable interdisciplinary science. My vision is to continue developing integrated frameworks that incorporate local knowledge and technological innovation to improve climate risk management and foster sustainable development in rural communities around the world. By maintaining a strong emphasis on applied research and education, I aspire to contribute to a more sustainable and resilient global food system and support the socio-economic advancement of communities that are most vulnerable to environmental changes.
My teaching philosophy is based on mutual respect and appreciation of differences. This philosophy implies an honest recognition of diverse scholars’, researchers’, practitioners’, and communities’ knowledge and experiences and, overall, the value that every student adds to the class. My teaching philosophy is also reflected in my extended and diverse teaching in eleven social science graduate and undergraduate courses at four different universities in the USA (Yale, Columbia, Cornell, University of Pittsburgh) and top programs in South America. Through that comprehensive teaching experience, I have developed the skills to generate an inclusive and experience-based learning environment.
At Yale, I teach: ENV 639 Food Systems and Climate Services
Education
- Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
- Master in Public Administration, University of Pittsburgh
- M.Sc. & B.A. in Economics, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia