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Affiliated Faculty


The Global Change and Sustainability Center is a nexus for faculty who are broadly interested in the interactions among human and natural ecosystems and the global changes that are influencing dynamics, sustainability and connectivities across these systems.

GCSC-affiliated faculty conduct cutting-edge research focused on reconstructing the past, understanding current and complex environmental challenges, and predicting future scenarios – all with the same overall goal of sustainable solutions. These affiliates benefit from and contribute to interdisciplinary engagement, research, and graduate student training.

The Global Change and Sustainability Center is composed of faculty from colleges across the University of Utah. Click through the tabs to view affiliated faculty from each college. Go here for an alphabetical list of faculty affiliates.

Associate Professor, School Of Architecture
Research Statement:
My research interests include sustainable architecture, building energy efficiency, thermal comfort in indoor and outdoor spaces, and integrated building technology.
Keith Bartholomew
Associate Professor, City & Metropolitan Planning
Research Statement:

My current primary research focus is assessing the extent and nature of land-use  transportation scenario planning in U.S. metropolitan areas.
Sarah Canham
Associate Professor, Social Work and City & Metropolitan Planning
Research statement:
My community- engaged research examines homelessness, housing security, health and social service delivery, and aging. Using a social justice lens, my interdisciplinary research seeks solutions to systemic barriers to aging well in various environments.
Divya Chandrasekhar

Divya Chandrasekhar
Assistant Professor, City & Metropolitan Planning
Research Statement:

My research focuses on community and household recovery from catastrophic disasters,
with an emphasis on disaster policy and planning practice.

Reid Ewing
Reid Ewing
Professor, City & Metropolitan Planning
Research Statement:
Reid Ewing’s research interest include urban development and climate change,
pedestrian and transit oriented design, and sprawl and obesity.
Stacy Anne Harwood
Professor, City & Metropolitan Planning
Research Statement:
My research focuses on urban planning processes in diversifying working-class communities, including how land-use decision making and planning processes can marginalize or empower residents.
Sarah HinnersSarah Hinners
Research Assistant Professor, City & Metropolitan Planning
Research Statement:
Sarah Hinner’s research interests focus on the ecological, economic and social roles and value of green infrastructure in and around cities.
Andy Hong
Assistant Professor, City & Metropolitan Planning
Research Statement:
My research lies at the nexus of urban planning, transportation, and public health. Health and sustainability are key cross-cutting themes of all my research, and my goal is to bridge the gap between urban planning and public health to develop evidence-based policy solutions to emerging health and sustainability challenges linked to urban and transportation planning.
Alexandra Ponette-Gonzalez
Associate Professor, City & Metro Planning; Curator of Urban Ecology, NHMU
Research Statement:
My research focuses on human-atmosphere-biosphere interactions under global change. I explore how human activities alter ecosystem processes via ‘bottom up’ changes in vegetation distributions and ‘top down’ changes in emissions sources. My work spans diverse ecosystems from tropical forest to urban, and advances understanding of the causes and ecosystem consequences of changing land use and atmospheric drivers.
Alessandro Rigolon
Assistant Professor, City & Metropolitan Planning
Research Statement:
My interdisciplinary line of research is located at the intersection of urban planning, public health, and recreation management. Specifically, my work centers on planning for urban green space and health equity, using an environmental justice lens.
Joerg RuegemerJorg Rugemer
Associate Professor, Architecture
Research Statement:
Joerg Ruegemer’s research focuses on highly energy-efficient and cost-effective buildings, design strategies, systems, and post-occupancy building monitoring.