About

Chelsea Schelly is a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Her research focuses on the intersection of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and ecosystem science, particularly in the context of forest ecosystem restoration and resilient livelihoods. Schelly investigates how Indigenous community engagement in science and practice can be enhanced, emphasizing the importance of collaborative research partnerships rather than treating Indigenous peoples solely as research participants. Her work includes a systematic review of TEK literature from 2001 to 2022, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in integrating Indigenous knowledge systems with Western scientific approaches, especially in ecological restoration efforts such as those involving the Ojibwa community's wild rice restoration in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. In addition to her work on TEK, Schelly explores public health resilience in rural regions, exemplified by her research on energy service security in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This research addresses the implications of energy service disruptions caused by climate change-induced severe weather events, focusing on the readiness of health facilities and the community's perception of self-reliance as both an asset and a barrier. Her studies underscore the critical role of dependable energy services in maintaining community health and highlight infrastructural challenges faced by rural and Tribal Nation communities. Schelly's scholarship also extends to social and environmental sociology, examining alternative technologies, emancipatory environmental practices, and the social dynamics of intentional living communities. Her interdisciplinary approach combines sociological theory with environmental studies to analyze how material organization, participation, and cultural connections can reshape social relationships and promote human welfare. Through her diverse body of work, Chelsea Schelly contributes to advancing understanding of environmental justice, Indigenous knowledge integration, and community resilience in the face of ecological and social challenges.

Research topics

• Economics
• Business
• Marketing
• Environmental resource management
• Geography
• Environmental planning
• Economic growth
• Environmental economics
• Political Science
• Engineering
• Law
• Ecology
• Industrial organization
• Biology
• Agricultural economics
• Medicine
• Natural resource economics
• Agronomy
• Environmental science

Selected publications

• Plugging in but priced out: Energy justice and the affordability gap in electric vehicle policy in Michigan, United States

  Energy Research & Social Science · 2026-04-17

  articleCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• The Inflation Reduction Act: Implications for energy development, energy sovereignty, and self-determination for federally recognized Tribal Nations in the US

  Energy Policy · 2025-06-02 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• How electricity utility practitioners in the United States approach power system resilience

  Future Energy · 2025-02-11 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  This study explores the understanding and practice of resilience among electrical utilities in the United States, focusing on how practitioners in the utility sector conceptualize and apply resilience in their work. As electricity becomes increasingly central to modern life, powering critical infrastructure and essential services, the resilience of power systems has gained prominence in energy policy and planning. However, there is a lack of standardized definitions and approaches to resilience in both academia and practice, particularly from an energy service perspective. The research employs a qualitative approach, utilizing semi-structured interviews with experts (practitioners) from transmission and distribution utilities in the United States to examine their definitions, understanding, and applications of resilience. By adopting a grounded approach, the study aims to identify key themes and concepts that practitioners associate with power system resilience. The findings outline that there is no clear definition of resilience amongst utility practitioners, and resilience and reliability are often used interchangeably/synonymously as there are no fixed indicators for resilience amongst practitioners. At present, unlike reliability, utilities are not including resilience as a term in their long-term resource planning, and neither are reporting resilience-based indicators to any of the government agencies. The findings contribute to the ongoing dialogue on energy resilience and offer a foundation for developing more comprehensive and context-specific approaches to building resilient energy systems that prioritize critical services and vulnerable populations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Does energy policy scholarship consider energy resilience? A bibliometric analysis and agenda for reform

  The Electricity Journal · 2025-08-18

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Assessing Climate Vulnerabilities in Rural and Low-Income Regions: A Case Study of the Western Upper Peninsula

  The International Journal of Climate Change Impacts and Responses · 2025-01-01

  articleSenior author

  Low-income and rural regions may be more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because they face challenges in accessing resources and systemic exclusion from climate planning coupled with other geographical, geological, and social factors. Climate vulnerability assessments (CVAs) offer a logical framework for assessing the potential impacts of climate change on socio-ecological systems and provide a scientific basis for developing adaptation strategies. Using secondary data from scholarly papers, online publications, government documents, official reports, and relevant news items, the study investigates Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula’s (WUP) vulnerability to climate change and climate variability. The study is guided by a conceptual framework highlighting the climatic and non-climatic factors influencing and impacting exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity in assessing vulnerability toward resilience building and adaptation planning. The study found that access to financial resources, diversified livelihoods, and climate-literate social networks will reduce vulnerabilities in the WUP. In contrast, aging population, aging infrastructure, poverty, financial resource constraints, energy service outages, institutional mistrust, low health service density, and pollution remnants from mining legacies contribute to climate vulnerabilities in the WUP. The vulnerability of the rural and low-income community should be addressed through just and equitable policy and strategies.

  PublisherDOI

• List of contributors

  Elsevier eBooks · 2025-01-01

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• Meaningful engagement in transitions research: Care and value in research partnerships

  Environmental Science & Policy · 2025-06-09 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Energy service security in the context of the rural and urban divide

  Elsevier eBooks · 2025-01-01

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Assessing Perceptions of Genetically Improved Tree Species Among Family Forest Owners (FFO) in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

  Society & Natural Resources · 2024-12-31

  article

  Forests face ongoing challenges that can threaten species' survival, forest health, and potentially create human impacts. Genetic engineering allows scientists to potentially address these concerns by creating genetically improved trees (GITs). Little research exists regarding the acceptance of GITs among potential implementers, such as family forest owners (FFO). This study explores stated GIT acceptance among FFOs in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin through survey data and alongside existing research. We problematize “social acceptance” when detached from the realities of adoption, implementation, and decision-making. This paper contributes insights into FFO perceptions of GITs and regarding the research design of similar studies. Respondents associated greater benefit and less risk with genetic improvement methods that may be perceived as “more natural,” and stated that they would be willing to consider planting GITs under certain conditions. Policymakers and scientists should consider the perspectives of potential technology implementers related to GIT use given their role in greater forest management.

  PublisherDOI

• Energy Service Security for Public Health Resilience: Perception and Concerns in Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan^☆

  Rural Sociology · 2024-10-07 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan includes six rural counties and one Tribal Nation. The region is characterized by long winters, legacies of the extractive mining economy, and the infrastructural features of extreme rurality, including aging housing and low health service density. The region also faces exceptionally high electricity prices. There is limited research on the public health implications of energy service disruption in rural regions resulting from the increasing intensity and frequency of weather events caused by climate change. This article presents research findings examining the readiness of health facilities in this area to manage the rising intensity, severity, and frequency of severe weather that could disrupt energy services. The study also considers how this knowledge can guide decision‐making to improve energy service access and maintain resilient public health services in the region. This exploratory study utilized a qualitative approach that combines semi‐structured interviews with public health stakeholders and a short survey to triangulate the findings from health facilities. Given the pivotal role of dependable energy services in community health, these findings underscore the community's perception of self‐reliance as both an asset and a hurdle. This perception aligns with the realities of rural communities at the “end of the line” regarding critical infrastructure, which also serves as a formidable barrier to social organization and infrastructure access during energy service disruptions that can severely impact public health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• EAGER: SAI: Socio-Technological Guided Enhancement of Power Infrastructure Resilience

  NSF · $299k · 2021–2024

Frequent coauthors

• Joshua M. Pearce

  Western University

  36 shared

• Kathleen E. Halvorsen

  Michigan Technological University

  19 shared

• Kristin Floress

  Northern Research Station

  19 shared

• William Lytle

  Michigan Technological University

  16 shared

• Rachael Shwom

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  14 shared

• Shardul Tiwari

  University of Toronto

  12 shared

• Alexis S. Pascaris

  9 shared

• Valoree S. Gagnon

  Michigan Technological University

  9 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Environmental Studies

  University of Wisconsin-Madison

  2010

• M.S., Environmental Studies

  University of Wisconsin-Madison

  2005

• B.A., Environmental Studies

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  2003