Neil Oculi, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies 

Neil Oculi is an interdisciplinary political geographer. He received his Ph.D. in geography and M.A. in international studies from the University of Connecticut. He also holds a B.A. in human ecology from College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, and studied farm management and rural development at the United World College in Venezuela. Neil has taught courses in geography, globalization, and global environmental politics at the University of Connecticut. Before joining the University of Portland, Neil was the resident lecturer in environmental policy and socioeconomic values at the Center for Marine Resource Studies in the Turks and Caicos and an adjunct professor at the University of Hartford, teaching courses in environmental studies and environmental justice. His research interests include the vulnerability of small island development state (SIDS), foreign policy analysis, international climate change policy, modeling of sea-level rise within SIDS, and hydro and hydraulic modeling of flood events within SIDS. His research adventures have taken him to Venezuela, Mexico, Tanzania, and the Caribbean, his home region. Born and raised in Saint Lucia, Neil’s passion for environmental justice and climate change sprouted during his time as the president of a local environmental club, the Mabouya Valley Environmental Club, where he managed local environmental projects such as river stabilization, watershed management and education, and youth heritage tourism initiatives.