Dominic Wilkins is Assistant Professor of Sustainability and Environmental Studies at Berea College. As a scholar, his work sits at the juncture of political ecology, social & cultural geography, the environmental humanities, and religious studies with particular foucs on topics including justice, power, and place. Dominic's courses reflect this commitment to interdisciplinarity and the liberal arts. From Introduction to Environmental Science and Sustainabilty to intermediate electives to the Sustainability Capstone Seminar, he invites students to spend time reflecting on the places they occupy within our more-than-human world. This work involves thinking historically to understand the stories which shape the lives and landscapes we inhabit, as well as looking forward to imagine better socio-ecologies and the paths we might follow to achieve them.

Ultimately, Dominic aims to help students answer two questions: how might they be better in this place, and how we might make this place better for other people? Though easy to pose, these are difficult to answer. As a result, his courses are largely discussion-based in a manner which asks all students to actively participate. Alongside formal teaching through scheduled courses, Dominic enjoys helping students wrestle with these topics through their own independent studies, research, or simply conversation. If this interests you, feel free to stop by his office (Goldthwait/Ag Building 210) to chat!

As a researcher, Dominic's work examines the various ways religious actors further and frustrate climate action and socio-ecological justice efforts. He focuses in particular on the U.S. Catholic Church, using a mix of methods to assess how the institution and indivdiual Catholics entangle with various socio-ecologies. At a more theoretical level, Dominic consider the ways various conceptions of the world do (and do not) take place, as well as the short- and long-term effects of such (mis)translations. These interests converged in his doctoral dissertation, an ethnographic examination of a Catholic intentional community in north-central West Virginia which has for nearly a half-century sought socio-ecological justice amid landscapes dominated by extractive industry. Dominic's prior research has appeared in academic journals including Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, Environmental History, the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and Progress in Human Geography. He also currently serves as the Co-Managing Editor of the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture.

Prior to joining Berea in 2025, Dominic served as a Visting Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies and Science program at Colorado College. He holds a PhD and MA in Geography from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affiars, as well as undergraduate degrees in environmental studies and comparative religion from Colgate University. Outside of the office, Dominic and his wife enjoy spending time with their two cats, hiking trails across Kentucky, playing chess (poorly) and other board games, and eating well-prepared sandwiches. He also loves to cook, so please let Dominic know if you have a particularly delicious recipe you'd like to share!