I am a geographer broadly interested in political ecology and human-environment interactions.  My research focuses primarily on understanding water resources management, and how water management can be more sustainable and just.  My work is situated in the areas of political ecology, water governance and hydropolitics, legal geography, and environmental justice.  In my work, I contribute to theoretical debates and academic literature, and also inform policy and practice of resource management.  I am also interested in food systems and other issues of resource management and human-environment geography. 

I advise master's and PhD students in the areas of environmental studies and sustainability, political ecology and political economy, local and global water resources governance, food systems, resource geography, environmental justice, environmental law and policy, human dimensions of climate change, nature/culture and gender, and social theory and the environment.  I currently do not anticipate having funding to support a new student in the 2025-26 academic year. 

Selected recent publications: 

Mulvaney, Dustin, J. Blair, A. Cantor.  2025. “Sunrise at the Salton Sea: Environmental Justice, Land Use Change, and Hydrosocial Dynamics of Solar Energy Transitions in the Imperial Valley, California.” Sustainability Science.

Cantor, Alida, E. Bartholomew, K. Berry, J. Blair, D. Mulvaney, and N. Hunter. 2025. “Unseen Connections: A StoryMap Exploring Case Studies in Water-Energy Transitions and Environmental Justice.” The Geography Teacher 22(2): 92-98.

Gunda, Thushara, A. Cantor, E. Grubert, A. Harris, and Y. Macdonald. 2025. “The Water-Climate Nexus: Toward an Integrated, Multi-Sectoral Approach.” WIREs Water 12(1): e1759.

Blair, James, N. Vineyard, D. Mulvaney, A. Cantor, A. Sharbat, K. Berry, E. Bartholomew, and A. Firebaugh Ornelas. 2024. “Lithium and water: Hydrosocial impacts across the life cycle of energy storage.” WIREs Water 11(6): e1748. 

Cousins, Joshua, A. Cantor, and B. Turley. 2024. “Water throughout the green energy transition: Hydrosocial dimensions of coal, natural gas, and lithium.” WIREs Water 11(6): e1751.

Cantor, Alida, T.K. Bui, Z. Boyce,* and J. Farley. 2024. “Working (around/within/against) prior appropriation: Diverse hydrosocial practices to secure water for rivers.” Journal of Political Ecology 31(1): 1051-1071. 

See Google Scholar page for more publications.