Amy Kinsley
Ecosystem health; environmental decision support; network epidemiology; aquatic invasive species; adaptive governance
Background & Expertise
Dr. Amy C. Kinsley is an assistant professor of veterinary population medicine at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, a research fellow with the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center and an associate with the Institute on the Environment.
Trained as a veterinarian and quantitative epidemiologist, her research integrates network science, ecological modeling and decision analysis to strengthen environmental decision support and prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species and emerging wildlife diseases. Her work advances an ecosystem health framework that connects animal, environmental and human systems to inform adaptive governance under changing climatic and fiscal conditions. She collaborates with engineers, social scientists and natural resource agencies to co-develop actionable tools, including network-based coordination models and autonomous sensing systems that enhance community-level resilience. Kinsley’s scholarship emphasizes interdisciplinary partnership, stakeholder engagement and translational science that supports evidence-based policy and management. She is deeply committed to mentoring and teaching that cultivate systems thinking across sectors and disciplines.
Featured Project: Amy Kinsley
Technology and Education to Address Natural Resource Management Challenges
Challenge
Limited funding and personnel challenge local management and monitoring of water resources. Furthermore, water quality monitoring and aquatic invasive species surveillance often require employees to travel to remote locations and encounter unsafe situations, ultimately leading to inconsistent monitoring. The absence of real-time, dependable data impedes managing Minnesota’s water resources.
Meet the Project Team
Project Leads
All Projects Featuring Amy Kinsley
2024 IonE Impact Goal Grants Award Nearly $2 Million for High-Impact Sustainability Projects
According to a 2021 comparison, if the U.S. Midwest were a country, it would be the fifth highest carbon emitter in the world. This means the region has an important role to play in advancing climate and broader sustainability solutions – and Minnesota-grown innovation is crucial.
The University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment (IonE) is a connector and catalyst for projects that do just that: in Minnesota, the Midwest, and around the world.