Cannon, an associate professor in the Department of Human Ecology, is a leader in the field of environmental justice and climate adaptation planning and policy. Her interdisciplinary work advances research in environmental and climate justice, gender inequality, and health disparities across urban, rural, and disaster contexts. 

Much of Cannon’s research examines a range of environmental injustices using a diverse array of approaches including community-engaged, quantitative, spatial, and qualitative methods to develop research-informed climate and environmental policy.

In the near decade she has been at UC Davis, Cannon has held numerous positions of leadership and advocacy including serving as the Vice-President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, as well as serving on many university committees and editorial boards.

Given her community-engaged research coupled with extensive national and university leadership experience, Cannon is well positioned to help grow the Institute as its latest steward.

Cannon has a B.A. in American Studies from Scripps College, a M.A. in Social Ethics from the Union Theological Seminary of New York City, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Sociology–  City, Culture, & Community from Tulane University. Cannon joined the UC Davis Department of Human Ecology in 2017.