Dr. Sara Meerow is an Associate Professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University. Her research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of urban geography and planning and focus on the challenge of how to make cities more resilient in the face of climate change and other social and environmental hazards while also making them more sustainable and just. Her research focuses on conceptualizations of urban resilience, the governance and planning of urban resilience in a changing climate (with a focus on heat and flooding), and urban green infrastructure.

Email: sara.meerow [at] asu [dot] edu  

Dr. Saeideh Sobhaninia  is a postdoctoral research scholar at ASU funded by the US Department of Energy-funded Southwest Urban Integrated Field Laboratory. Her research primarily revolves around climate resilience, community resilience, disaster recovery, environmental justice, and placemaking. She has taught previously at Clemson University, Shahab Danesh University, and Qom Technical College at graduate and undergraduate levels in City Planning and Design, Landscape Architecture, and Architecture departments. She also has a demonstrated history of working in the urban planning, urban design, and architecture industries. She worked as the project manager for the revitalization of buyout floodplain areas and turning them into community spaces. Saida has an interdisciplinary education background, which has helped her to better work, teach, and conduct research in interdisciplinary projects. She pursued her doctoral education in urban planning and design at Clemson University, master's degree in GIS at the University of California Los Angeles, master's degree in Urban Design at Shahid Beheshti University, and bachelor’s in Architecture. 

Dr. Francesca Peroni holds an interdisciplinary background with a Master's Degree in architecture (IUAV, Venice - Italy), an Advanced Master's in GIScience and UAV (University of Padua - Italy), and a PhD in Human Geography (University of Padua - Italy, 2022). She mainly works on topics related to cities, with a focus on urban sustainability and spatial planning, and adopts a geographical approach.

In 2024, she was awarded an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship by the European Commission for her project RESTART. The project addresses climate justice in cities, focusing on heatwaves and integrating procedural, distributional, and recognitional justice dimensions. RESTART aims to develop an operational framework for inclusive climate adaptation plans, using Padua (Italy) and Tempe (US) as case studies. The project will be conducted at Arizona State University (with Prof. Sara Meerow), University of Padua (with Prof. Massimo De Marchi), and includes a secondment at the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (with Prof. Isabelle Anguelovski). 

Philip is a PhD candidate in Geography.  His interests revolve around the intersection of emergency management, disaster risk reduction, sustainability, and urban planning. Of particular interest to Philip, are methods and strategies for integrating research into professional practice and community governance. 

Alex is a PhD student in Geography whose research interests lie at the intersection of resilience, policy, and the built environment. Alex uses big data and GIS to investigate these interactions and understand how the built environment and policy impact resilience. 

Shaylynn is a PhD student in Geography and an NSF GRFP and INTERN fellow. She is committed to conducting socially relevant research on human-environment interactions, particularly how people can cope with increasingly extreme heat, and helping to translate that research into action. Part of her motivation to pursue this work is putting it to use in underserved communities. She aims to enhance her knowledge about how social and spatial inequalities in human-environment relationships differentially affect people’s well-being, and how knowledge of human-environmental relationships can clarify avenues for potentially enhancing well-being among disadvantaged groups. 

Consolata is a PhD student in Geography. Her research interests focus on the intricate dynamics of social vulnerability, heat vulnerability, and environmental justice, with a particular focus on marginalized communities. Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing technologies, Consolata aims to uncover and address the spatial and temporal dimensions of these pressing issues. Her work is driven by a commitment to understanding and mitigating the impacts of environmental hazards on vulnerable populations, striving to contribute to more equitable and resilient communities.

Julius is a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning student. His research interests focus on analyzing the impact of green infrastructure on communities at different scales and how this influences post-implementation policies. 

Mahin is a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning student. His research focuses on understanding the multifaceted impacts of climate change with a particular emphasis on extreme heat and building climate resilience. He aims to provide actionable insights and innovative solutions to address climate challenges and encouraging sustainable development by utilizing GIS and remote sensing tools.