Areas of Interest
- Social and ecological impacts of land use land cover change
- Human-environment dynamics at the interface of agriculture and conservation
- Remote sensing
- Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean
Education
- PhD, Geography, University of Florida, 2011
- MS, Geography, University of Florida, 2006
- BS, Geography, University of Florida, 2004
Courses Taught
- Environmental Remote Sensing (GES4060)
- Statistical Analysis in Geography (GES 4000)
- Image Analysis (GES4090)
- Urban Ecology (GES 4700)
- Geography of Africa (GES 3070)
- Geographic Research (GES 5010)
- Digital Earth (GES2050)
- Field courses in Colorado, Guatemala, Mexico, Uganda, Rwanda
Selected Publications
- Gibbes,C., Hopkins, A., Inurreta, A., and JImenez-Osornio, J. (2018). Defining and measuring sustainability: A systematic review of studies in rural Latin America and the Caribbean. Environment, Development and Sustainability. 10.1007/s10668-018-0209-9.
- Klenk, N., Fiume, A., Meehan, K., & Gibbes, C. (2017). Local knowledge in climate adaptation research: Moving knowledge frameworks from extraction to co‐production. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 8(5), e475.
- Gibbes, C., Southworth, J., Waylen, P., Child, B. (2014). Climate variability as a dominant driver of post-disturbance savanna dynamics. Applied Geography, 53, 389-401.
- Hopkins, A., Gibbes, C., Inurreta, A., Rojas, R. (2012). Linking Remote Sensing, Census and Interview Data to Understand Forest Transitions in the Southern Cone of the State of Yucatan, Mexico. Ethnobotany Research and Application, 10, 1-13.
- Gaughan, A., Stevens, F.R., Gibbes, C., Southworth, J., and Binford, M. (2012). Linking vegetation response to seasonal precipitation in the Okavango-Kwando-Zambezi catchment of southern Africa. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 33, 6783-6804.
- Gibbes, C., Southworth J., Keys E. (2009). Wetland conservation: change and fragmentation in Trinidad's protected areas. Geoforum, 40, 91-104.
Honors and Awards
- President's Teaching Scholar (2022)
- CU- Next, University of Colorado System Grant (2022)
- Fulbright Fellowship, Taiwan (2020)
- National Geographic Explorer (2020-2021)
- UCCS Faculty Award for Excellence in Research (2017)
- NEXUS Fulbright Fellowship, Latin America (2014-2016)
- Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS) Fellow (2012)
- NASA Land Cover/Land Use Change Research Assistantship (2009-2011)
- Social Science Research Council DPDF (2008)
Volunteer and Service
- Co-Chair, Committee for Racial & Ethnic Equity, CU System
- Student Award Committee, American Association of Geographers
- Topic Advisory Panel, Land
Faculty Q/A
What do you value and care about outside of your professional duties?
Outside of my professional work, I value time with family and friends, opportunities to connect with nature, and activities new to me that challenge me to grow. I enjoy stepping into the unfamiliar and find fulfillment in continually learning.
What encouraged you to go into (and stay in) higher education?
I was drawn to higher education because of my love of learning. What keeps me here is the chance to share that passion with students and to mentor them as they grow.
What are your own professional goals and aspirations?
My professional goals include continuing to grow as a teacher and scholar through collaborative projects that cross disciplinary boundaries.
What is your favourite place?
My favourite places are linked to the experiences and relationships that I associate with those locations. One of my favourite places is Englishman's Bay in Tobago.