Chris is a Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara. His research is in natural resource management under uncertainty, incomplete property rights for natural resources, and applied bioeconomics for management and conservation. In his work, he combines theoretical micro-economics with modeling and empirical analysis to inform policy on fisheries management, biological diversity, introduced species, industrial regulation, or marine policy. 

He has worked closely with national governments in Latin America and colleagues from around the world to translate his research into on-the-ground action, and frequently collaborates with researchers in disciplines outside of economics, such as statistics, ecology, biogeography, and mathematics. In 2016, he was awarded a Peter Benchley Ocean Award for Excellence in Solutions. He serves as an adviser to the Ocean Protection Council, the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative, and the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea, and he is a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

He earned a BA from UC Berkeley, a MA from Oregon State University, and a PhD from UC Berkeley.