Aaron Thompson – Co-Lead, ISF Great Lakes Science Initiative; Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture
Aaron Thompson’s work is rooted in a simple but powerful belief: that sustainable and resilient landscapes emerge when science, planning, and community voices come together. Trained as both a scholar and practitioner, he brings a social-ecological perspective to landscape planning, focusing on how environmental systems and human systems interact across coastal, agricultural, and urban environments. As Director of Purdue’s Center for Community and Environmental Design (CCED) and a three-time Purdue graduate, he serves as a trusted bridge between the university and the communities it seeks to serve.
A Focus on Sustainable Landscapes in the Great Lakes Region
As co-lead of the Great Lakes Science Initiative at Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future (ISF), Aaron advances interdisciplinary research that supports equitable environmental governance and community-centered decision-making. His career has been defined by applied, place-based research that moves beyond theory to deliver real-world outcomes.
Within ISF, he brings together multidisciplinary teams to address environmental challenges at scale—ensuring that sustainability solutions are not only scientifically grounded, but also accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of communities. His work reflects ISF’s mission to create healthier, more resilient environments where all people can thrive.
A Legacy of Community-Engaged Impact
As Director of the CCED, Dr. Thompson has transformed the center into a national model for community-engaged design and experiential learning. His approach emphasizes collaboration, partnership, and the co-creation of solutions that generate measurable value for both students and stakeholders.
To date, he has led more than 160 service-learning projects, engaging over 1,050 students and 2,300 community partners. These efforts have catalyzed more than $31.8 million in community investment, demonstrating the power of applied research to drive meaningful change.
High-impact outcomes include:
- Turtle Mountain Recovery Center: Development of a master plan for an $18 million recovery facility for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, expanding access to critical healthcare.
- Kankakee Sands: Design leadership supporting a $3 million transformation of education and visitor facilities at The Nature Conservancy’s Efroymson Prairie.
- Jasper-Pulaski State Fish & Wildlife Area: Community-driven planning that helped secure $6.5 million in state investment for visitor improvements.
Through this work, he continues to demonstrate that community partnerships and experiential education can generate both immediate and long-term impact.
Driving Discovery in Sustainable Landscapes
Dr. Thompson’s research addresses the most pressing challenges in sustainable development, with a focus on reimagining agriculture, protecting water resources, and promoting environmental governance. His work is supported by a total of $13.6 million in research funding, with over $2.2 million directly allocated to support his program.
His key research initiatives include:
- #DiverseCornBelt: He serves on the leadership team for this $10 million USDA-funded initiative exploring how diversified landscapes can make farms more resilient.
- IMPACT2: Dr. Thompson is a lead scientist on this $1.5 million USDA NIFA project to co-create actionable climate tools and training for farmers and stakeholders.
- Coastal Resilience: He leads the social science component of an interdisciplinary team exploring nature-based solutions to coastal erosion on Lake Michigan, and is the PI on a major project with the Indiana DNR and NOAA to develop a new Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Plan for Northwest Indiana.
Building the Next Generation of Leaders
Dr. Thompson is committed to translating his research and engagement into transformative educational experiences.
- Founding Graduate Programs: He led the effort to establish the first-ever graduate degrees affiliated with Purdue’s 60-year-old landscape architecture program: the Master of Science in Landscape Systems and Design (approved in 2020) and a new doctoral concentration.
- Award-Winning Mentorship: His students consistently receive recognition for excellence. Since 2019, he has mentored students who have won 14 awards from the Indiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), including three “Awards of Excellence,” the chapter’s highest honor.
- University Recognition: For his dedication to this hands-on, high-impact teaching model, Dr. Thompson was named a 2022 Purdue University Experiential Education Champion and a 2024 Insights Leadership Fellow.
By cultivating future leaders who value collaboration, community engagement, and applied problem-solving, he ensures that the impact of his work extends far beyond his own research.
Dr. Thompson’s leadership is characterized by his expert integration of social-ecological science with applied, place-based planning. At ISF, his work moves beyond theory to create tangible, community-driven outcomes. His expertise is particularly focused on the region’s most critical natural resources, from leading social science assessments on Lake Michigan coastal erosion and developing watershed management strategies in the Lower Fox River basin to designing innovative “Ecobuffer” solutions for agricultural landscapes in the Saginaw Bay watershed. This deep regional focus, combined with his leadership on multi-state initiatives like the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, makes him a vital force within the Institute for a Sustainable Future as it tackles the complex challenges facing this vital ecosystem.