Martin Monto

Martin Monto is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Portland and a Visiting Researcher at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA for the 2025-26 academic year. His current interests in environmental research focus on three areas:

1. Investigating how cultural beliefs have historically justified environmentally harmful practices, and developing strategies to promote attitude change to create greater support for environmentally sustainable and socially just practices.
2. Exploring strategies for preserving existing housing in order to enhance affordability, promote ownership-particularly among the working class and communities of color-and reduce environmental impact. 
3. Advancing non-regulatory approaches to land preservation, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable land use in light of the recent Chevron Decision, which may limit the regulatory capacities of federal agencies. He anticipates working with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy or other regional conservation groups to document how these organizations function to protect land amid competing interests and priorities. 

With a passion for epistemology and a publication record that reflects a range of research methods, including surveys, qualitative interviews, and content analyses, Monto looks forward to collaborating with and learning from other environmental scholars while also preparing his own undergraduate course in environmental sociology. Monto’s other research interests include gender, sexuality, and public health.

Monto holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from UCLA, and a B.A. in Life Sciences and Sociology from Kansas State University. He has supervised 85 sociology senior theses in the past four years on a vast array of topics and recently received his institution’s Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. He is a two-time winner of the Beigel Award (2015 and 2025) for the best sexuality article in a calendar year from the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS).