Eva Gildea
Paintings Landscape Design Research About

Research

Work at the intersection of urban ecology, landscape technology, climate policy, and spatial risk.

Selected Projects

Thesis  /  Harvard GSD

Wandrian Marsh — Hysteresis, Drowning Salt Marsh, Rock Cut-and-Fill

MLA thesis exploring path-dependent attractor dynamics in drowning coastal systems. Investigates hysteresis as a design and ecological framework for salt marsh restoration.

2025–2027

Climate Policy  /  Harvard Salata Institute

Salata Climate Policy Summer Fellowship

Research into landscape-scale climate adaptation strategies at Harvard's Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability.

Summer 2025

Urban Ecology  /  Harvard HUCE

Imagination and Urban Futures

Contributed to Bruno Carvalho's book on imagination and urban futures, exploring how cities narrate and project themselves through built form and planning. Published January 2026.

2021 / pub. 2026

Spatial Risk  /  Harvard College Thesis

Camp Fire Spatial Risk Analysis

Undergraduate thesis mapping and analyzing the spatial dimensions of wildfire risk in the context of the 2018 Camp Fire, using environmental science and spatial design methods.

2022

Tree Ecophysiology  /  UTEN

Urban Tree Ecophysiology Network

Ongoing research on the ecophysiology of urban trees — stress response, heat tolerance, and species selection under changing climate conditions.

Dec 2024–present

Home Energy / Anthropology  /  Harvard CLDL

Color & Home Energy Intensity — Oak Bluffs

Anthropological fieldwork examining the relationship between exterior home color and energy use intensity in the historic landscape of Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard.

2020

Wildlife / BiodiversityWorks

Piping Plover Habitat Monitoring

Field monitoring of piping plover nesting habitat on Martha's Vineyard, contributing to regional shorebird conservation data.

2018

Figures & Diagrams

© 2026 Eva Gildea

Paintings Landscape Research About