PNNL

Christopher (Chris) Henderson is a social scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), focusing on the social and behavioral dimensions of renewable energy, community engagement, environmental policy, and socio-ecological systems. At PNNL, Henderson has applied his multidisciplinary background to a variety of research efforts, including assessment of coastal communities and the potential of tidal/wave energy systems to improve coastal resilience; development and commercialization pathways for innovative fish passage technologies to restore salmon habitat in the Pacific Northwest; and evaluation of community values and perceptions regarding a “consent-based” process for storing the nation’s nuclear waste. He has secured grants for studying western-Indigenous research partnerships, hydropower communication networks, and emerging narratives around marine energy portrayed in the media. He is part of an interdisciplinary, community-engaged effort to evaluate impacts of offshore wind development on the West Coast, and leads a team to design and administer a federal program that provides incentive payments to hydropower facilities for completing environmental improvements. More broadly, Henderson’s interests encompass the “big picture” relationships between people and nature, and science and policy.

• Ecology 
• Environmental policy 
• Environmental sociology 
• Natural resource management 
• Policy research 
• Qualitative and quantitative research methodologies 
• Renewable energy 
• Social psychology 
• Social sciences 
• Stakeholder engagement

• PhD in fisheries and wildlife management, Michigan State University, 2021 
• MS in energy and environmental policy, Michigan Technological University, 2015
• BS in environmental conservation, University of Montana, 2010

• The Wildlife Society 
• Society & Natural Resources 
• Organizing Committee, International Fish Passage Conference, Richland, Washington, 2022

• Featured researcher, Department of Energy Justice Week, 2023 
• Featured PNNL researcher for National Post-Doc Appreciation Week, 2022 
• Dissertation Proposal Award, Rural Sociological Society, 2018

2024

• Arkema K.K., K.P. Duffy, C.D. Henderson, M.C. Freeman, D.J. Rose, M. Severy, and J.H. Haxel, et al. 2024. Advancing community-engaged research for offshore wind on the West Coast. PNNL-36954. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Advancing community-engaged research for offshore wind on the West Coast
• Rackley A., H.K. Farr, J.A. Shipley, I.K. Van Dyke, K.J. Morrice, Z.E. Miles, and K.M. Jones, et al. 2024. Preliminary Workforce Development and Environmental and Co-use Management Plans for a Floating Offshore Wind Platform - CRADA 609 (Final Report). PNNL-36138. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Preliminary Workforce Development and Environmental and Co-use Management Plans for a Floating Offshore Wind Platform - CRADA 609 (Final Report)

2023

• Henderson, C. D., Kazimierczuk, K., Duffy, K., Hanif, S., Bhattacharya, S., Biswas, S., Jacroux, E., Preziuso, D., Wu, D., Bhatnagar, D., Tarekegne, B. 2023. “A socio-technical assessment of marine renewable energy potential in coastal communities”. Energy Research & Social Science, 100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103098 
• Duffy K.P., C.D. Henderson, and A.L. White. 2023. "ES4SE Technical Assistance Program Evaluation." PNNL-SA-185072. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 

2022

• O'Neil R.S., D.C. Preziuso, K.K. Arkema, Y. Ko, N. Pevzner, K. Diamond, and S. Gore, et al. 2022. Renewable Energy Landscapes: Designing Place-Based Infrastructure for Scale. PNNL-32680. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

2021

• Henderson C.D., S.J. Riley, E. Pomeranz, and D.B. Kramer. 2021. "Stakeholder support for wildlife conservation funding policies." Frontiers in Conservation Science 2. PNNL-SA-167726. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.767413