̽̽

Meredith T. Niles, PhD

Professor

Bickford Endowed Professor

mtniles@uvm.edu
(802) 656-4337
Meredith T. Niles
mtniles@uvm.edu
+18026564337
Alma mater(s)
  • PhD, Ecology, University of California, Davis, 2014
  • BA, Political Science, Honors in Environmental Studies, The Catholic University of America, 2005
Affiliated Department(s)
  • Food Systems Graduate program
  • Food Systems Research Center (FSRC)
  • Gund Institute
  • Board of Directors, Public Library of Science
  • Board of Directors, Rural Vermont
  • Associations- Ecological Society of America, Agronomy Soil and Crop Science Societies

BIO

Dr. Meredith Niles is a professor and the Robert L. Bickford Endowed Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at ̽̽ and also teaches and advises in the food systems program.  Meredith previously served as the Associate Director of the Food Systems Research Center and as Acting Director of the Gund Institute for Environment at ̽̽.  Prior to her academic career, Meredith worked for the United States Department of State in HIV/AIDS public health and for several food and environmental non-profit organizations. 

Meredith thrives conducting applied research that can help bring together diverse stakeholders- from farm to federal agency- to help solve pressing problems facing our world's food system.  Meredith is an interdisciplinary food systems scientist whose research focuses on advancing efforts to achieve sustainable food security and improve health, environmental, and rural livelihood outcomes in food systems, including in two key areas: Farmer's adoption of sustainable management practices and policy implications, and food and nutritional security during crises, including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Meredith is deeply committed to ensuring academic research is available to the public and stakeholders to meet a land-grant mission, evidenced through policy briefs and open science principles.  Meredith has received notable honors and recognition for her research, most recently being named an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar for 2022-2025 by the National Academy of Medicine and receiving the Vogelmann Award for Research in 2024 from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at ̽̽.

Courses

  • NFS 4286: Senior Seminar: Nutrition, Sustainability and Society
  • NFS 6232: Intro to Research Methods

Publications

Awards and Achievements

  • Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar (2022-2025),
  • Civil Eats, March 23, 2021.  20
  • BBC Newsday.  January 2021. (Live radio interview).  .
  • Forbes, January 2021. .
  • National Public Radio, November 20, 2020. 
  • Vermont Public Radio Vermont Edition (Live Interview), April 26, 2020. 
  • Vermont Public Radio, January 22, 2020. 
  • The Takeaway (WYNC NPR Studios), September 10, 2019. 
  • New York Times, September 8, 2019. 
  • Times Higher Education, July 27, 2019. 
  • Vermont Public Radio Vermont Edition, October 30, 2018. (Live interview). .
  • Newsweek, May 13, 2018. .
  • USA Today, April 19, 2018. . Story also appeared in at least 40 other outlets via the USA Today Network.
  • Washington Post, April 18, 2018. . Story appeared in at least 20 other sites via the Washington Post newswire

Area(s) of expertise

  • Food Systems Sustainability
  • Food Policy
  • Food Security
  • Farmer Behavior
  • Social-Ecological Systems

Bio

Dr. Meredith Niles is a professor and the Robert L. Bickford Endowed Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at ̽̽ and also teaches and advises in the food systems program.  Meredith previously served as the Associate Director of the Food Systems Research Center and as Acting Director of the Gund Institute for Environment at ̽̽.  Prior to her academic career, Meredith worked for the United States Department of State in HIV/AIDS public health and for several food and environmental non-profit organizations. 

Meredith thrives conducting applied research that can help bring together diverse stakeholders- from farm to federal agency- to help solve pressing problems facing our world's food system.  Meredith is an interdisciplinary food systems scientist whose research focuses on advancing efforts to achieve sustainable food security and improve health, environmental, and rural livelihood outcomes in food systems, including in two key areas: Farmer's adoption of sustainable management practices and policy implications, and food and nutritional security during crises, including climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Meredith is deeply committed to ensuring academic research is available to the public and stakeholders to meet a land-grant mission, evidenced through policy briefs and open science principles.  Meredith has received notable honors and recognition for her research, most recently being named an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar for 2022-2025 by the National Academy of Medicine and receiving the Vogelmann Award for Research in 2024 from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at ̽̽.

Courses

  • NFS 4286: Senior Seminar: Nutrition, Sustainability and Society
  • NFS 6232: Intro to Research Methods

Publications

Awards and Achievements

  • Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar (2022-2025),
  • Civil Eats, March 23, 2021.  20
  • BBC Newsday.  January 2021. (Live radio interview).  .
  • Forbes, January 2021. .
  • National Public Radio, November 20, 2020. 
  • Vermont Public Radio Vermont Edition (Live Interview), April 26, 2020. 
  • Vermont Public Radio, January 22, 2020. 
  • The Takeaway (WYNC NPR Studios), September 10, 2019. 
  • New York Times, September 8, 2019. 
  • Times Higher Education, July 27, 2019. 
  • Vermont Public Radio Vermont Edition, October 30, 2018. (Live interview). .
  • Newsweek, May 13, 2018. .
  • USA Today, April 19, 2018. . Story also appeared in at least 40 other outlets via the USA Today Network.
  • Washington Post, April 18, 2018. . Story appeared in at least 20 other sites via the Washington Post newswire

Areas of Expertise

  • Food Systems Sustainability
  • Food Policy
  • Food Security
  • Farmer Behavior
  • Social-Ecological Systems

ASSOCIATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS

  • Manure Management Advisory Council, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
  • Associate Editor, Critical Insights in Agriculture
  • Co-Section Editor, “Food, Health and Environment Section”, Current Environmental Health Reports
  • 2023- Associate Editor, Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems
  • American Public Health Association, Tri-Societies (Soil, Crop, Agronomy Societies)