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Rissman’s research investigates the relationships between society and the environment in ecosystem management, conservation, and sustainable use. She investigates institutional approaches to conservation and new models of environmental governance. Her research employs mixed quantitative and qualitative methods, including spatial analysis, surveys, and interviews.

Rissman is also a faculty affiliate of the UW-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, the Agroecology program, the Land Tenure Center, and the Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. Before graduate school, she worked as a forest planner for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. She received my B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.