Maryann R. Cairns
is an applied environmental anthropologist whose scholarship explores environmental degradation, waste, sustainability, and natural and cultural heritage. As director of the at SMU, she has led a variety of collaborative research projects, looking at issues like sustainability in fashion, wastewater management, and COVID-19 and loneliness. Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Fulbright Scholar Program. Her publications have appeared in various journals, including Water Research, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science and Technology: Water, and Human Organization.