Faculty

Morgan Ruelle

CV

Morgan Ruelle

Associate Professor, Sustainability and Social Justice

Morgan Ruelle is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Science and Policy program in the Department of International Development, Community and Environment. He is interested in how biological and cultural diversity enable communities to anticipate and adapt to change. His work focuses on how the diversity within food systems provides options for communities to respond to climate change. He integrates Indigenous and other place-based ecological knowledge with a broad array of scientific tools. He strives to include communities in every stage of the research cycle to co-generate knowledge that is locally relevant and broadly meaningful.

Since 2007, Dr. Ruelle has worked with Elders in the Standing Rock Nation of the Northern Great Plains to increase availability and access to plants used in their traditional foodways. His current work in Standing Rock focuses on ecological calendars, knowledge systems that measure and makes sense of time based on close observation of the ecosystem. His work combines Indigenous knowledge with phenological data to identify reliable seasonal indicators that could help communities synchronize their food systems with an increasingly variable climate.

In Ethiopia, Dr. Ruelle conducts research and training for the Legume Diversity Project, a collaboration with five Ethiopian universities aimed at understanding the status and significance of Ethiopia’s food legumes. Dr. Ruelle teaches Ethiopian graduate students to conduct surveys of legume species and varieties, using digital data collection tools to document farmers’ knowledge across multiple agroecological and sociocultural contexts. In his own field work, he investigates how rapid expansion of road networks and access to regional markets shape farmers’ use of legumes, and how agricultural development policies could sustain Ethiopia’s agrobiodiversity as a source of adaptive capacity for climate change.

Dr. Ruelle’s research has been supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship in Food Systems and Poverty Reduction, the Toward Sustainability Foundation, the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, and the McKnight Foundation’s Collaborative Crop Research Program.

Degrees

  • Ph.D. in Natural Resources, Cornell University, 2015
  • M.S. in Natural Resources, Cornell University, 2011
  • B.S. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 2001

Affiliated Department

Sustainability and Social Justice

Scholarly and creative works

  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Mixed teff (Eragrostis tef, Poaceae) cultivation and consumption among smallholder farmers in South Wollo Zone, Ethiopia

    Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
    2025
    2025
    Vol. 21
    Issue #1
    Daniel Melese, Zemede Asfaw, Zerihun Woldu, Bikila Warkineh, Endale Amare, Alex C McAlvay, Morgan L Ruelle
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    The potential of Ethiopian medicinal plants to treat emergent viral diseases

    Phytotherapy Research
    2024
    Vol. 38
    Issue #2
    Mekbib Fekadu, Ermias Lulekal, Solomon Tesfaye, Morgan Ruelle, Nigist Asfaw, Tesfaye Awas, Kebu Balemie, Kaleab Asres, Sebastian Guenther, Zemede Asfaw, Sebsebe Demissew
  • Presentations

    Plant diversity and food sovereignty: Stewarding species and varieties in Ethiopia

    Annual Meeting of the Botanical Society of America
    Grand Rapids, MI
    June
    2024
    Morgan L. Ruelle
  • Presentations

    Traditional Cereal Mixtures for Climate Resilience: Generating Evidence for Policy Change

    International Society of Ethnobiology Congress 2024: Biodiversity and Cultural Landscapes
    Marrakesh, Morocco
    May
    2024
    Sponsored by International Society of Ethnobiology
    Morgan L. Ruelle, Alex C. McAlvay
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    The need for more inclusive deliberation on ethics and governance in agricultural and food biotechnology

    Journal of Responsible Innovation
    2024
    Vol. 11
    Issue #1
    Catherine Kendig, Theresa Selfa, Paul B Thompson, Raymond Anthony, Wenda Bauchspies, Gwendolyn Blue, Ashmita Das, Rebecca Harrison, Chris Henke, Shan Jin, Jennifer Kuzma, Forbes Lipschitz, Kurt Richter, Morgan Ruelle, TImothy Silberg, Bruno Takahashi
  • Chapters In Books

    Science, Engineering, and Sustainable Development: Cases in Planning, Health, Agriculture, and the Environment
    Chapter: Illustrating climate-change resilience engineering: Conceptual design of water supply and wastewater/stormwater system for the Mexico-Lerma-Cutzamala hydrological region

    Published by De Gruyter
    2024
    Timothy Downs, Ravi Hanumantha, Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, Morgan Ruelle, Marisa Mazari-Hiriart
  • Chapters In Books

    Science, Engineering, and Sustainable Development: Cases in Planning, Health, Agriculture, and the Environment
    Chapter: Integrative collaborative design of research-based, climate-change resilience engineering education: Insights from Mexico-Lerma-Cutzamala hydrological region

    Published by De Gruyter
    2024
    Timothy J. Downs, Ravi Hanumantha, Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, Morgan Ruelle, Nigel Brissett
  • Presentations

    Ethnobotany in R

    Joint Meeting of the Society of Ethnobiology and Society for Ethnobotany
    Atlanta, GA
    June
    2023
    Morgan L. Ruelle, Ashley McGuigan
  • Presentations

    What is the Future of Ethnobiology?

    Joint Meeting of the Society of Ethnobiology and Society for Ethnobotany
    Atlanta, GA
    June
    2023
    Morgan L. Ruelle, Amani Rodriguez
  • Presentations

    Art and Ethnobotany

    Joint Meeting of the Society of Ethnobiology and Society for Ethnobotany
    Atlanta, GA
    June
    2023
    Morgan L. Ruelle, Sunshine Best
  • Presentations

    Data Sovereignty and Publishing in Ethnobiology

    Joint Meeting of the Society of Ethnobiology and Society for Ethnobotany
    Atlanta, GA
    May and June
    2023
    Sponsored by Allying for a Diverse and Inclusive Ethnobiology (ADIE)
    Morgan L. Ruelle, Felice Wyndham, Cynthia Fowler, Ina Vandebroek
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Rhythms of the Earth: Editorial Introduction

    GeoHealth
    2023/04/13/19:00:27
    2023
    Vol. 7
    Issue #4
    Karim-Aly S. Kassam, Morgan L. Ruelle, Christopher P. Dunn, Raj Pandya, Felice Wyndham
  • Other Scholarly or Creative Work

    Rhythms of the Earth: Ecological Calendars and Anticipating the Anthropogenic Climate Crisis (Special Issue)

    April
    Wiley
    Karim-Aly S Kassam, Morgan L. Ruelle, Christopher P Dunn, Raj Pandya, Felice Wyndham
  • Chapters In Books

    The Cultural Value of Trees: Folk Value and Biocultural Conservation
    Chapter: Make way for the ‘new king’: Farmers’ multifaceted relationships with Eucalyptus globulus in northwestern Ethiopia

    Published by Routledge
    2022
    Morgan L Ruelle, Zemede Asfaw
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Cereal species mixtures: an ancient practice with potential for climate resilience. A review

    Agronomy for Sustainable Development
    2022
    Vol. 42
    Issue #5
    Alex C McAlvay, Anna DiPaola, A Catherine D’Andrea, Morgan L Ruelle, Marine Mosulishvili, Paul Halstead, Alison G Power
  • Chapters In Books


    Chapter: Health as a Social-technical Enterprise Anchored in Social-ecological Justice and Stakeholder Collaboration: Insights from Mexico-Lerma-Cutzamala Hydrological Region

    Published by Springer International Publishing Cham
    2022
    Timothy J Downs, Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, Morgan Ruelle, Ravi Kumar Hanumantha, Marisa Mazari-Hiriart, Matiana Ram’irez-Aguilar, Carlos Santos-Burgoa
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Land-cover change and urban growth in the Mexico-Lerma-Cutzamala Hydrological Region, 1993–2018

    Applied Geography
    2022
    Vol. 147
    Ethan Manley, Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, Morgan Ruelle, Ravi Hanumantha, Marisa Mazari-Hiriart, Timothy J Downs
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Ecological calendars, food sovereignty, and climate adaptation in Standing Rock

    GeoHealth
    2022
    Vol. 6
    Issue #12
    Morgan L Ruelle, Aubrey Joshua Skye, Evan Collins, Karim-Aly S Kassam
  • Presentations

    Ecological calendars for food sovereignty: The contributions of plant knowledge to climate adaptation

    Joint Meeting of the Society for Economic Botany and International Society of Ethnobiology
    The University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica
    May
    2022
    Morgan L. Ruelle
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Is push-pull climate- and gender-smart for Ethiopia? A review

    Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
    2022
    Vol. 46
    Issue #1
    Ryan W Kopper, Morgan L. Ruelle
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Field pea diversity and its contributions to farmers’ livelihoods in northern Ethiopia

    Legume Science
    2022
    Yirga Gufi, Alemtsehay Tsegay, Morgan L. Ruelle, Kassa Teka, Sarah Tewolde-Berhan, Alison G. Power
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Diversity of farmers’ varieties of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) in northeastern and southwestern Ethiopia

    Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
    2022
    Vol. 46
    Issue #5
    Asmamaw Andualem, Tsinat Legesse, Amsalu Nebiyu, Asmare Dejen, Faris Hailu, Zemede Asfaw, Morgan L. Ruelle, Alex C. McAlvay, Alison G. Power, Abush Tesfaye
  • Chapters In Books

    Handbook of Human and Planetary Health
    Chapter: Health as a Socio-Technical Enterprise Anchored in Social-Ecological Justice & Stakeholder Collaboration: Insights from México-Lerma-Cutzamala Hydrological Region

    Published by Springer
    2022
    Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, Timothy Downs, Morgan L. Ruelle
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Medicinal plants and health sovereignty in Badakhshan, Afghanistan: Diversity, stewardship, and gendered knowledge

    Human Ecology
    2021
    Vol. 49
    Issue #6
    Munira Karamkhudoeva, Murodbek Laldjebaev, Morgan L. Ruelle, Karim-Aly S. Kassam
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Guest Editorial: Power in Engaged Scholarship: Dimensions and Dynamics of Knowledge Co-Creation

    Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement
    2021
    Vol. 14
    Issue #2
    Margaret A Post, Morgan Ruelle
  • Reviews, Abstracts, Pamphlets

    The Edible Gardens of Ethiopia: An Ethnographic Journey into Beauty and Hunger

    Economic Botany
    2021
    Vol. 75
    Issue #2
    Springer
    Morgan Ruelle
  • Presentations

    Ecological Calendars of the Standing Rock Nation

    Rhythms of the Land: Indigenous Knowledge, Science, and Thriving Together in a Changing Climate
    Ithaca, NY
    2021
    Sponsored by Cornell University
    Morgan L. Ruelle
  • Other Scholarly or Creative Work

    Power in Engaged Scholarship (Special Issue)

    Fall
    Vol. 14
    Issue #2
    UTS ePress
    Margaret A. Post, Morgan L. Ruelle
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Guest Editorial: Power in Engaged Scholarship: Dimensions and Dynamics of Knowledge Co-Creation

    Gateways International Journal of Community Research and Engagement
    2021
    Vol. 14
    Issue #2
    Margaret A. Post, Morgan L. Ruelle
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Engaging Transformation: Using Seasonal Rounds to Anticipate Climate Change

    Human Ecology
    2021
    Vol. 49
    Issue #5
    Karim-Aly S. Kassam, Morgan L. Ruelle, Isabell Haag, Umed Bulbulshoev, Daler Kaziev, Leo Louis, Anna Ullmann, Iriel Edwards, Aziz Ali Khan, Antonio Trabucco, Cyrus Samimi
  • Other Scholarly or Creative Work

    Rhythms of the Land: Indigenous Knowledge, Science, and Thriving Together in a Changing Climate

    Cornell University
    Karim-Aly S. Kassam, Daler Kaziev, Leo Louis, Morgan L. Ruelle, Anna Ullmann
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Diversity, use and production of farmers’ varieties of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., Fabaceae) in southwestern and northeastern Ethiopia

    Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution
    2020
    Vol. 67
    Issue #2
    Betelhem Abera, Menbere Berhane, Amsalu Nebiyu, Morgan L. Ruelle, Alex McAlvay, Zemede Asfaw, Abush Tesfaye, Zerihun Woldu
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Use and management of tamarind (Tamarindus indica L., Fabaceae) local morphotypes by communities in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

    Forests, Trees and Livelihoods
    2020
    Hailay Girmay, Sarah Tewolde-Berhan, Hadgu Hishe, Zemede Asfaw, Morgan Ruelle, Alison Power
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Inter- and intraspecific diversity of food legumes among households and communities in Ethiopia

    PLOS ONE
    2019
    Vol. 14
    Issue #12
    Morgan L. Ruelle, Zemede Asfaw, Asmare Dejen, Sarah Tewolde-Berhan, Amsalu Nebiyu, Tamado Tana, Alison G. Power
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Biocultural diversity and food sovereignty: A case study of human-plant relations in northwestern Ethiopia

    Food Security
    2019
    Vol. 11
    Issue #1
    Morgan L Ruelle, Karim-Aly Kassam, Stephen J Morreale, Zemede Asfaw, Alison G Power, Timothy J Fahey
  • Presentations

    Charting the course, compiling the tools: Ethnobotanical study of value in the Anthropocene

    Society of Economic Botany Annual Meeting
    Cincinnati, OH
    June 5
    2019
    Sponsored by Society of Economic Botany
    Morgan L. Ruelle, Jeffrey R. Wall, Michelle J. Baumflek
  • Presentations

    Ways of being: The friction of multiple knowledges and ‘green’ development

    Global Environmental Justice Conference
    New Haven, CT
    November 15
    2019
    Sponsored by Yale University
    Morgan L. Ruelle
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Human ecology of sacred space: Church forests in the highlands of northwestern Ethiopia

    Environmental Conservation
    2018
    Morgan Ruelle, Karim-Aly S. Kassam, Zemede Asfaw
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Anticipating climatic variability: the potential of ecological calendars

    Human Ecology
    2018
    Vol. 46
    Karim-Aly S Kassam, Morgan L Ruelle, Cyrus Samimi, Antonio Trabucco, Jianchu Xu

Awards and grants

  • Investigating Underutilized Traditional Crop Mixtures for Nutritional Yield, Climate Resilience, and Soil Regeneration

    Rockefeller Foundation – Periodic Table of Food Initiative

    clock icon Jan. 1, 2023 – Dec. 31, 2025

  • Co-Creating Research and Education Capacities to Understand, Visualize and Mitigate Climate-Change Impact Cascades and Inequities in Central Mexico

    National Science Foundation

  • Seeding Food Resilience though Anchor Institutions

    National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA – NIFA)

  • Between Hurricanes and Earthquakes: Reconstruction, Resilience, and Sustainability in Post-Disaster Puerto Rico

    Clark University (Faculty Development Fund)

  • Seed Mixtures for Climate Resilience in Ethiopia

    Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future (Cornell University)

Clark University logo

Invest in the next generation of Clarkies.

Ways to give