Max Nathanson

Climate Change and the Evolution of U.S. Engagement with Northern Central America: The Emergence of a Climate Security Discourse in a post-NAFTA world since 1994

Max Nathanson is a DPhil candidate in environmental politics at the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment and St. Antony's College. He is supervised by Professor Cameron Hepburn, Professor Diane Davis, and Dr Ben Franta. His research explores the integration of climate change concerns into U.S. national security doctrine through so-called 'climate security' narratives. He focuses on immigration policy, humanitarian assistance, and sustainable economic development between the U.S., Mexico, and Northern Central America. His work has been generously supported by a Rotary International Global Grant, the Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

During the DPhil, Max served as the inaugural Climate Security Fellow at the William J. Perry Center, the U.S. Department of Defense's Regional Center for Latin America and the Caribbean. In this capacity, he worked with the Office of the Secretary of Defense to increase awareness of climate change impacts, humanitarian protection needs, and civilian oversight of defense institutions for governments and civil society in the Americas. In particular, Max collaborated with IOM and UNHCR to lead the migration workstream within the Secretary of Defense's Climate Resilience Initiative for U.S. Southern Command, culminating in the inaugural Climate and Defense Summit of the Americas at the U.S. Naval Academy. He was also the deputy director of two bilingual executive education courses for senior government and military officials across the Americas: Climate Change and Implications for Defense and Security, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response.

In addition, Max was a researcher at Drexel University's Nowak Metro Finance Lab, supporting Bruce Katz and the community of practice for the U.S. Commerce Department's Build Back Better Regional Challenge. He was also a senior advisor to the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, assisting climate workforce development and early phases of the Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine.

Prior to the DPhil, Max's previous experience includes managing economic development and future of work policy for Colorado Governor Jared Polis, where he was a core member of the Governor's COVID-19 response team, and as a policy advisor at Co-Equal, working with U.S. congressional staff on legislative affairs and congressional oversight. He is also the founder of the Oxford Urbanists, a global urban development social enterprise, and is passionate about community development, immigration advocacy, and environmental protection in his home state of Colorado.

Max holds an MPhil in development studies from Oxford, and a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, in political science from the University of Colorado, where he was a Norlin Scholar.