Christopher Jensen

Chris Jensen is an educator, writer, and scientist with interests in cooperation, human cultural evolution, sustainability, and pedagogy. Starting his career as a science teacher in the New York City public schools, Chris worked with fellow educators to create immersive ecology-themed experiences for his middle school students. Since becoming a professor, he has taught a variety of environmental science, ecology, and evolutionary biology courses to Pratt’s art, design, and architecture majors. His research is focused on understanding how evolving human cultural systems interact with the evolving biological systems upon which human populations depend. He also conducts pedagogical research aimed at identifying best practices for fostering scientific learning in non-majors and encouraging students to apply scientific learning in their professional and personal lives. Overall, Chris is interested in how scholarship and education can be harnessed as tools of liberation.

B.A. Biology, Pomona College

Ph.D. Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University

Top 5 papers:

1. Jensen, C. X J., Brian Brooks, Keena Suh, Allegra Marino Shmulevsky, and Chris Wynter, 2019. The art of designing a curriculum optimized for learning transfer. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning 51(6):52-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2019.1674108.
2. Bales, A. D., C. X J. Jensen, M. Sekor, and B. Adinolfi, 2024. From science class to studio: supporting transformative sustainability learning among future designers. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education #:##; https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-02-2024-0094.
3. Ginzburg, L. R. and C. X J. Jensen, 2004. Rules of thumb for judging ecological theories. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 19:121-126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2003.11.004.
4. Jensen, C. X J., 2021. The Evolution of Play. In The Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science (Todd K. Shackelford and Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford, editors). New York, New York: Springer Reference. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_1062.
5. Jensen, C. X J. and L. R. Ginzburg, 2005. Paradoxes or Theoretical Failures? The jury is still out. Ecological Modelling 188:3-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2005.05.001.

Dr. Jensen’s full publication record can be found on his Google Scholar and ResearchGate pages.