About

R. Patrick Bixler is an assistant professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs with a joint appointment in the Community and Regional Planning program in the School of Architecture. His interdisciplinary appointment contributes to the work of Planet Texas 2050 and he serves as a core faculty member of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service. His research focuses on climate and environmental governance, urban sustainability and resilience, hazard preparedness and response, and network science. Dr. Bixler is particularly interested in how public, private, and nonprofit institutions collaborate to solve complex social and environmental problems and promote social innovation. Through his research and teaching, he emphasizes the importance and impact of civic and community engagement. He co-leads a Planet Texas 2050 Flagship Project and leads the Austin Area Sustainability Indicators project, which received the 2020 Community Impact Award from the Community Indicator Consortium.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Business
• Environmental resource management
• Ecology
• Geography
• Sociology
• Computer Security
• Psychology
• Environmental planning
• Engineering
• Social Science
• Political Science
• Environmental science
• Economics
• Social psychology
• Medicine
• Biology
• Process management
• Meteorology
• Virology
• Risk analysis (engineering)

Selected publications

• Envisioning sustainable urban areas through integrative physical systems and governance frameworks

  Environmental Research Infrastructure and Sustainability · 2026-04-23

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Cities and urban areas present important opportunities for advancing toward sustainability and resilience goals. From a systems perspective, various targets and indicators of key outcomes reflect sustainability of urban areas, motivating consideration of local and regional context. We explore four key themes for creating sustainable urban areas: (1) urban areas are complex systems linked with diverse rural areas across the urban-rural gradient, (2) data and modeling of physical and non-physical systems can aid decision making for sustainability, (3) creating sustainable urban-rural systems requires collaboration with partner communities, and (4) change requires adaptive and transformative governance frameworks. These themes guide sustainability innovations through co-production of knowledge among communities, authorities, managers, and researchers. The sustainability of urban areas strongly depends on urban-rural connectivity regarding both physical systems and governance frameworks.

  PublisherDOI

• Leveraging Community Survey Data: A Tool for Meaningful Community Engagement to Enhance Climate Resilience and Sustainability

  Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America · 2025-01-01

  articleSenior author
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• Integrating perspectives: Multi-sectoral insights into U.S. Gulf Coast flood governance

  International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction · 2025-06-21 · 1 citations

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• Relating Collaborative Capacity to Social-Ecological Outcomes in the United States– Bridging Academic and Practitioner Perspectives

  Society & Natural Resources · 2025-09-07

  article

  Landscape-scale collaborative conservation and stewardship are increasingly recognized by practitioners as effective in addressing complex, transboundary, and intersectional social-ecological challenges. However, the underlying dynamics of “collaborative capacity” remain incompletely expressed in the academic literature. This exploratory qualitative study contributes empirical grounding to the capacity elements, activities, and contextual aspects that enable collaborative landscape scale outcomes. We conducted a mix of semi-structured, in-depth interviews and focus groups with 43 coordinators, experts, and funders from across the United States. Along with a synthesis of existing academic and practitioner-based frameworks we identified six collaborative capacity elements that are necessary for nine collaborative activities, which in turn enable a suite of six social-ecological outcomes at the landscape scale. This, along with five contextual elements underlie and inform an expanded, practitioner-driven and empirically-based framework. We conclude with recommendations for more effective practitioner, funder, and academic collaborations to advance the field. For practitioners, this research provides guidance to improve storytelling, grant writing, and annual reporting and encourages the use of shared language with funders and policymakers. The research also promotes the documentation and sharing of best practices and lessons learned, and highlights how different tools and approaches can fit individual needs.For funders, this research emphasizes the need to integrate investments in project implementation with collaborative capacity building to enhance on-the-ground outcomes. Grant-making should include longer timeframes, more flexibility, and reporting requirements that foster consistency, transparency, accountability, and accessibility.For researchers, this research encourages increased attention to practitioner needs and contextual dynamics in collaborative governance across multiple disciplines to further a theoretical and methodological focus on integrated social-ecological systems. We also suggest a co-produced research agenda with practitioners and funders to improve understanding of the relationships between collaborative capacity elements and desired outcomes. For practitioners, this research provides guidance to improve storytelling, grant writing, and annual reporting and encourages the use of shared language with funders and policymakers. The research also promotes the documentation and sharing of best practices and lessons learned, and highlights how different tools and approaches can fit individual needs. For funders, this research emphasizes the need to integrate investments in project implementation with collaborative capacity building to enhance on-the-ground outcomes. Grant-making should include longer timeframes, more flexibility, and reporting requirements that foster consistency, transparency, accountability, and accessibility. For researchers, this research encourages increased attention to practitioner needs and contextual dynamics in collaborative governance across multiple disciplines to further a theoretical and methodological focus on integrated social-ecological systems. We also suggest a co-produced research agenda with practitioners and funders to improve understanding of the relationships between collaborative capacity elements and desired outcomes.

  PublisherDOI

• Assessing extreme heat risk perception: Awareness, worry, preparedness and social capital in Texas

  Environmental Science & Policy · 2025-05-08

  articleSenior author
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• Integrating Perspectives: Multi-Sectoral Insights into Gulf Coast Flood Governance

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
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• An open-source linear actuated-quartz tube furnace with programmable ceramic heater movement for laboratory-scale studies of combustion and emission

  HardwareX · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access

  The Linear Actuated Quartz Tube Furnace (LA-QTF) is an instrument engineered to heat and combust materials under controlled conditions, capable of achieving flaming and smoldering states. A ceramic ring furnace is linearly actuated parallel to the length of a quartz tube. The mode of combustion depends on temperature, fuel composition, and oxygen availability; the LA-QTF regulates combustion by controlling the temperature and position of the ring furnace, and airflow within the tube. The LA-QTF can maintain temperatures between 23°C-530°C for extended time periods, with stable temperatures over long-duration (~120 min) experiments. Flow rate is dependent on the chosen pump; we designed for an upper limit of 3.5 LPM, though the tube furnace can accommodate lower or higher flows. To quantify CO2 emissions from combustion processes, the design incorporates lower-cost CO2 sensors at the inlet and outlet of the quartz tube. Real time furnace temperature and CO2 data are printed to the Arduino serial monitor, providing users with live feedback and data logging capabilities. We aim to enable users to safely and consistently heat and combust different materials under smoldering and flaming conditions. All design and software files are open source, facilitating replication and customization to suit user’s specific needs.

  PublisherDOI

• Gaps and opportunities for collaborative flood governance: Network-analytic insights from the US gulf coast

  2024-09-30 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Flooding poses a significant threat to infrastructure, ecosystems, and communities, exacerbated by climate change and urbanization. Effective flood governance requires coordinated action across sectors, yet current approaches remain fragmented and fail to address critical socio-environmental factors shaping collaboration. Despite increased awareness, the complexity of flood governance—driven by diverse stakeholders, varied risk perceptions, and uneven institutional capacities—remains a challenge. This study addresses these gaps by applying network analysis and Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) to examine relationships among flood governance actors in the Beaumont-Port Arthur region. Our unique approach analyzes both the structural features of governance networks and the role of shared perceptions of flood risk drivers and impacts, offering insights into socio-environmental factors shaping collaboration. The paper identifies the structural characteristics of governance networks across flood preparation, mitigation, response, and recovery phases, while evaluating how perceptions of risk influence network ties. Our findings reveal significant governance gaps in addressing socio-economic and ecological impacts, with lower network connectivity in these areas. Conversely, infrastructure considerations play a central role in fostering partnerships, particularly in long-term planning efforts. Organizations with aligned perceptions of key drivers, such as infrastructure and precipitation risks, form more cohesive and responsive networks. These results emphasize the need for inclusive, adaptive governance frameworks that integrate diverse perspectives and strengthen local engagement. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers, offering pathways to enhance flood resilience by addressing the socio-environmental dynamics shaping collaborative networks.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Using Q-methodology to discover disaster resilience perspectives from local residents

  International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction · 2024-03-01 · 3 citations

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• How Do Nonprofits’ Organizational Characteristics Shape Environmental Philanthropy in Texas? A Network Science Approach

  Nonprofit Policy Forum · 2024-07-09 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract In efforts to address the far-reaching effects of climate change and associated impacts in communities, research on environmental philanthropy suggests that more resources are being allocated to environmental societal challenges. However, understandings about which environmental nonprofits benefit from these funding flows is limited. This study integrates resource dependency theory with elitism and pluralism perspectives to analyze a network of environmental nonprofits and their funders in Texas. Resource dependency and a network-analytic approaches share underlying relationality principles, and we connect those dots by conceptualizing the funding dynamics in Texas as a network of funder-grantee relations. Drawing on statewide survey data ( n = 114), we use a network analysis technique – exponential random graph modeling (ERGM) – to analyze funding allocations in Texas through the organizational attributes of environmental nonprofits, their funder-grantee relations, and their community context. We specifically observe elitism in funding allocations in Texas, which is evident in network effects (preferential attachment) and the focal areas of environmental work. However, we find limited evidence that age or resources of the nonprofit are predictive of funding and the most influential factor determining a funder-grantee relationship is the natural hazard risk of the community served by the nonprofit. Our findings suggest interconnected funding dynamics of pluralism and elitism in the Texas environmental philanthropy landscape, prompting further discussion about the potential synergies of these patterns and the implications for environmental funding practices.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Paola Passalacqua

  The University of Texas at Austin

  13 shared

• Matthew Preisser

  10 shared

• Samer Atshan

  Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School

  9 shared

• Cassandra Moseley

  University of Oregon

  8 shared

• Katherine Lieberknecht

  The University of Texas at Austin

  8 shared

• Heidi Huber‐Stearns

  6 shared

• S. Richter

  The University of Texas at Austin

  6 shared

• J. Amy Belaire

  The Nature Conservancy

  5 shared

Awards & honors

• 2020 Community Impact Award from the Community Indicator Con…