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Shelie Miller

shelie miller
Professor, Director, Program in the Environment; Jonathan W. Bulkley Collegiate Professor of Sustainable Systems; U-M Distinguished Faculty Fellow in Sustainability
Sustainable Systems
Climate + Energy
Food Systems
sheliem@umich.edu
(734) 763-4572
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1532 Dana
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About

(she/her/hers)

Professor Miller's research uses life cycle assessment and scenario modeling to identify environmental problems of emerging products and systems. Historically, our society has taken a reactionary approach to the environment. By proactively understanding the environmental issues of technologies that are still under development, we can identify a greater number of options and more creative solutions to avoid or reduce negative consequences. Miller's research group works on a variety of topics, including the food system and food waste, single-use plastic, e-commerce, and the rural-urban sustainability divide.

Publications

  • Chen L, Miller SA, Ellis BR. Comparative human toxicity impact of electricity produced from shale gas and coal, Environmental Science & Technology, 2017, 51(21): 13018-13027.
  • Heard BR, Miller SA. Critical research needed to examine the environmental impacts of expanded refrigeration on the food system, Environmental Science & Technology, 2016, 50(22): 12060-12071 Link: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.6b02740
  • Miller SA, Heard BR. The environmental impact of autonomous vehicles depends on adoption patterns, Environmental Science & Technology, 2016, 50(12): 6119-6121 Link: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.6b02490
  • Sharp BE, Miller SA. Potential for integrating diffusion of innovation principles into life cycle assessment of emerging technologies, Environmental Science & Technology, 2016, 50(6): 2271-2781
  • Kemausuor F, Bollweg S, Miller S, Modelling the socio-economic impacts of modern bioenergy in rural communities in Ghana, Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 2016, 14: 9-20.
  • Bichraoui-Draper N, Xu M, Miller SA, Guillaume B. Agent-based life cycle assessment for switchgrass-based bioenergy systems, Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2015, 103: 171-178. 
  • Brunner A, Currie WS, Miller SA. Cellulosic ethanol production: landscape scale net carbon strongly affected by forest decision making, Biomass and Bioenergy, 2015, 83: 32-41. 
  • Miller SA, Keoleian GA. Framework for analyzing transformative technologies in life cycle assessment, Environmental Science & Technology, 2015, 49(5): 3067-3075.

Research
  • 2016 NSF UNS Program,  U.S.-China: Integrated Systems Modeling of Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus for Urban Sustainability, $499,990, PI: Ming Xu
  • 2011 NSF Environmental Sustainability Program, Developing a Spatially-Explicit Agent-Based Life Cycle Analysis Framework for Improving the Environmental Sustainability of Bioenergy Systems, $310,000, 9/1/2011-8/31/2014 PI: Ming Xu, University of Michigan
  • 2011 Argonne National Laboratory, Update Material Production Modules in GREET 2 Model, $100,000, 5/3/11-9/30/11, PI: Greg Keoleian, University of Michigan 
  • 2010 NSF Science Master's Program: Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure, $700,000 6/1/2010-5/31/2014, PI: Ronald Andrus, Clemson University
  • 2009 NSF CAREER Program, Creation of Predictive and Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment Tool; $403,000, 1/1/2009-12/31/2014, PI: Shelie Miller
  • 2009 NSF Environmental Sustainability Program, Workshop Proposal: Land Use and Geospatial Aspects of Life Cycle Assessment; $80,000 1/1/2009-12/31/2009; PI: Tom Seager, RIT
Education

PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago (civil and materials engineering)

ME, Clarkston University (civil and environmental engineering)

BS, Denison University (chemistry)

Affiliations

Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee (2015-Present).

Steering Committee, Academic Engagement in Public and Political Discourse, University of Michigan, (2013-15).

Nominating Committee, International Society of Industrial Ecology (2011-14).

In the News
PitE Students

Program in the Environment Celebrates 20 Years

Adrienne Watts
April 22, 2022

Meet the Future of Sustainable Systems: Adrienne Watts (MS ’22)

Why SEAS? Adrienne Watts (MS ’22) had a few years of work experience under her belt when she came to realize that the way we produce and consume products is antiquated...

2022 catalyst grants
February 17, 2022

SEAS faculty Shelie Miller and Michael Craig awarded Catalyst Grants

Professors Shelie Miller and Michael Craig of the School for Environment and Sustainability are among the recipients of the most recent round of the U-M Graham...

computer screen with faces
February 15, 2022

Second Cohort of Learning Innovation Fellows Named

The Midwest Big Data Innovation Hub and the Gala Sustainability Learning Initiative at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability continue to build on the success...

Research Highlights

Climate benefits vs. burdens: Which products are best suited for emerging carbon capture technologies?
August 24, 2021

Climate benefits vs. burdens: Which products are best suited for emerging carbon capture technologies?

ANN ARBOR—Pulling heat-trapping carbon dioxide out of the air and turning it into useful products, a concept called carbon capture and utilization, has the potential to...

School for Environment and Sustainability Professor Shelie Miller
April 21, 2021

Busting Environmental Myths

Michigan Alumnus spoke with Shelie Miller, an associate professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability and director of the U-M Program in the Environment...

Women's history month
March 3, 2022

Women’s History Month: Perspectives from SEAS Women in Sustainability

In honor of Women’s History Month, we asked our women faculty and researchers to share their perspectives as members of the sustainability field and to offer advice to...

In the Media
01/29/2023
Shelie Miller
What On Earth with Laura Lynch: Sleuthing for greenhouse gases at grocery stores (CBC Listen)
01/29/2023
Shelie Miller
How supermarket freezers are heating the planet, and how they could change (CBC News)
01/23/2023
Shelie Miller
How companies greenwash their plastic pollution (Popular Science)
01/18/2023
Shelie Miller
Single-use coffee pods have surprising environmental benefits over other brewing methods (The Washington Post)
01/14/2023
Shelie Miller
How to Get Rid of Your Old Treadmill or Other Exercise Equipment (Consumer Reports)
12/06/2022
Shelie Miller
For a sweltering petrostate, a ‘carbon neutral’ World Cup is a challenge (The Washington Post)
11/25/2022
Shelie Miller
Outdoor Air Conditioning Cools the World Cup—but Is It Sustainable? (Scientific American)
10/26/2022
Shelie Miller
Crunch time as crisp makers adopt plastic-free packets (BBC News)
09/27/2022
Shelie Miller
Paper, plastic or tote: Doing the math on the environmental impacts of shopping bags (National Public Radio)
09/09/2022
Shelie Miller
Consumers are skeptical of buying recycled goods. Are they right? (Popular Science)
09/01/2022
Shelie Miller
Should we switch from petroleum ink to soy-based ink? (Popular Science)
09/01/2022
Shelie Miller
Why Do Some People in New Jersey Suddenly Have Bags and Bags of Bags? (The New York Times)
07/07/2022
Shelie Miller
How Air-Conditioning Creates a Climate Conundrum (Audubon)
07/03/2022
Shelie Miller
Hilliard company ADS is the nation's top plastics recycler
04/12/2022
Shelie Miller
Rethinking air conditioning amid climate change (Knowable Magazine)
03/04/2022
Shelie Miller
Can flying ever be green? With EasyJet CEO (BBC's The Big Money Show)
12/09/2021
Shelie Miller
How to Compost in Your Apartment (Consumer Reports)
11/23/2021
Shelie Miller
The Last Straw: Assessing Alternatives to Single-Use Plastics, with Shelie Miller (Resources Radio)
10/19/2021
Shelie Miller
Scrub Hub: Are meal kit services bad for the environment, compared to a grocery store? (Indianapolis Star)
09/28/2021
Shelie Miller
Reusable Packaging Is the Latest Eco-Friendly Trend. But Does It Actually Make a Difference? (Time)
09/08/2021
Shelie Miller
The Big Problem With Plastic (Consumer Reports)
07/16/2021
Shelie Miller
The truth about reusable kitchen essentials (Popular Science)
07/15/2021
Shelie Miller
Think reusable straws, wraps, and cups are always better for the environment? Think again. (Anthropocene Magazine)
06/17/2021
Shelie Miller
The truth about processed foods' environmental impact (BBC News)
06/14/2021
Shelie Miller
Out of gas? What green regulations could mean for classics (MSN)
04/27/2021
Shelie Miller
Survey finds consumers are concerned about waste from fast-food containers (Marketplace on NPR)
03/26/2021
Shelie Miller
Shelie Miller: Environmental Sustainability...and Roller Derby? (Michigan News)
10/29/2020
Shelie Miller
Reusable grocery bags aren’t as environmentally friendly as you might think (Popular Science)
07/24/2020
Shelie Miller
Is Microfiber Plastic? Here Are the Facts on Microfiber's Sustainability (Green Matters)
07/02/2020
Shelie Miller
US rivers and lakes are shrinking for a surprising reason: cows (The Guardian)
05/09/2020
Shelie Miller
Is Online Grocery Shopping Better for the Planet?
03/01/2020
Shelie Miller
Interview on C-SPAN's Washington Journal Primetime
07/01/2019
Shelie Miller
Issues Of The Environment: U-M Study Shows Delivered Meal Kits Are Greener Than Grocery Shopping
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