Fulbright Scholar at the ITRC

Dr. Nathan Reigner

Nathan Reigner, PhD is a 2019 Fulbright Scholar hosted by the ITRC and the University of Akureyri.

His research, funded by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and US National Science Foundation's Arctic research program, is focused on national parks and tourism in Iceland. 

Nathan will pursue two tracks of research during his time with RMF: 1) documenting and analyzing the initiatives to reorganize administration of Iceland's national parks and establish a central highlands national park, and 2) applying and adapting data collection methods for integrated monitoring of tourism to parks, including social, environmental, and management aspects of tourism pressure.

Dr. Reigner comes to Iceland from the United States where he is the principal of Recreation and Tourism Science, an independent consultancy that helps parks, protected areas, and tourism destinations address issues of carrying capacity, crowding, and conflict.  In addition to his work in Iceland, Nathan has ongoing projects in Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the White Mountain National Forest.

Nathan is a member of the National Academies of Science's Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on the Transportation Needs of National Parks and Public Lands and is a 2018 Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center Research Fellow.  Nathan is an avid outdoor recreationist with passions for skiing, hiking, biking, and dinner cooked on a campfire.