Department of Government and Justice Studies

Dr. Brian Bulla joined the Department of Government and Justice Studies in 2016. He earned a Master of Public Administration, a Master of International Studies, and a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Policy and Administration all from North Carolina State University. Dr. Bulla completed a post-doctoral research assistantship at Purdue University where he worked with The Nature Conservancy to evaluate policy innovations designed to improve water quality. As a policy scientist, his teaching and research focus on the policy process, adaptation to climate change, as well as decision space. He is a former operations manager with experience coordinating and evaluating programs, projects, and personnel. While at NCSU Dr. Bulla worked on a collaborative project between the university and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in development of climate change adaptation policies. He has led research projects examining the willingness of NC coastal officials to adapt to climate change and a phenomenological study with farmers in central NC. Current research projects expand his study of climate change to include uncertainty and adaptive decision-making in the High Country. Dr. Bulla’s work is published in the following journals: Ocean and Coastal Management; Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems; as well as Environmental Management.

Areas of Expertise & Interest:

• Adaptation to Climate Change
• Environmental Policy and Adaptive Governance
• Research Methodology
• Public Management and Policy Process

Education:

• Ph.D., North Carolina State University
• M.P.A., North Carolina State University 
• M.I.S., North Carolina State University 
• B.A., Mars Hill College

Courses Taught:

• Undergraduate:
  • PS 2160 Introduction to Public Administration 
  • PS 3280 Public Policy Analysis
• Graduate:
  • PA 5000 Research Methods
  • PA 5010 Field Based Research
  • PA 5180 Public Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation
  • PS 5675 Readings and Research on Environmental Policy