A political economist for the bioeconomy

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 specialize in the political economy of land-use policy, the bioeconomy, and theories of institutional change.

My research employs comparative historical analysis, historical institutionalism, and mixed methods using spatial data to examine how resource-governing institutions co-evolve with economic and environmental pressures.

My work is often public-facing, bridging theory and practice, with an emphasis on agriculture, sustainability, and institutional change in the emerging bioeconomy.

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

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

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

    • 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)

    Fellow, Santa Monica College’s Sustainability Center (via Climate Corps, funded by SoCal Edison), 2022

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

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

  • 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

  • The bioeconomy takes seriously the role of biological processes in driving economic activity. It is the part of the economy that is sustained by photosynthesis, fermentation, metabolism, and microbes — emphasizing circularity rather than the linear use of a finite supply of fossil fuels. Before the industrial revolution, nearly the entire economy was the bioeconomy, and contemporary scholars argue that a renewed reliance on the bioeconomy is key to aligning environmental goals with industrial and agricultural realities.

    • 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)