Experts by Expertise: Cities and Urban Planning

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For help reaching an expert on deadline, please contact UB's media relations team at 716-645-6969 or ub-news@buffalo.edu.

Note to members of the news media:

The correct name of the university is “University at Buffalo,” not “University of Buffalo.”

  • Head shot of Robert Adelman, University at Buffalo immigration and U.S. Census expert.
    10/4/24

    Robert Adelman

    Professor of Sociology

    Expertise: urban sociology, segregation, race, immigration, U.S. Census

    Phone: 716-645-8478

    Email: adelman4@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of John D. Atkinson, University at Buffalo sustainability and air pollution expert.
    10/30/24

    John D. Atkinson

    Associate Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

    Expertise: sustainability, greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution control, materials science and engineering, adsorption, life-cycle assessment

    Phone: 716-645-4001

    Email: atkjdw@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Charlotte Lindqvist.
    1/24/24

    Amanda Aykanian

    Assistant Professor of Social Work

    Expertise: homelessness, including how social policies and programs affect unhoused people; homeless service systems and workforce issues; social welfare history and policy; social service program implementation

    Phone: 716-645-1270

    Email: aykanian@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Annahita Ball, University at Buffalo expert on schools and social services.
    4/12/23

    Annahita Ball

    Associate Professor of Social Work

    Expertise: family engagement in schools; educational justice and reform; school-based mental health services; school-community partnerships

    Phone: 716-645-8951

    Email: annahita@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Elizabeth Bowen.
    4/12/23

    Elizabeth Bowen

    Associate Professor of Social Work

    Expertise: homelessness, health issues affecting homeless populations, recovery from alcohol and other drug problems

    Phone: 716-645-1258

    Email: eabowen@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Ian Bradley, University at Buffalo wastewater treatment and algal bloom expert.
    8/19/21

    Ian Bradley

    Assistant Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering 

    Expertise: wastewater treatment, algae, algal blooms in the Great Lakes and elsewhere

    Phone: 716-645-4004

    Email: ianbradl@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Irus Braverman, University at Buffalo wildlife, conservation and environmental law expert.
    8/16/21

    Irus Braverman

    Professor of Law

    Expertise: laws governing animals, zoos, wildlife, coral reefs, extinction and climate change law, law and society, law and conservation, law and the environment, environmental justice in Israel/Palestine

    Phone: 716-645-3030

    Email: irusb@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Michel Bruneau.
    10/21/22

    Michel Bruneau

    SUNY Distinguished Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

    Expertise: disaster resilience, multi-hazard engineering, design of infrastructure to resist extreme events, earthquake engineering, design of steel structures, structural engineering

    Phone: (716) 645-3398

    Email: bruneau@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Susan Spierre Clark, University at Buffalo sustainability, climate change, infrastructure and community resilience expert.
    8/17/21

    Susan Spierre Clark

    Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability

    Expertise: climate change and sustainable development; resilient infrastructure; power outages due to extreme events; sustainability education; community resilience

    Phone: 716-645-1403

    Email: sclark1@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Michael Coury.
    10/18/24

    Michael Coury

    Assistant Professor of Economics

    Expertise: environmental economics, public economics, climate change and public opinion, economic history

    Phone: 716-645-2311

    Email: mcoury@buffalo.edu

     

  • Portrait of Julia Czerniak.
    12/13/24

    Julia Czerniak

    Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning

    Expertise: landscape architecture, climate change and cities, multispecies design

    Phone: 716-829-3981

    Email: jeczerni@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Yige Dong, University at Buffalo gender, work and political economy expert.
    8/16/21

    Yige Dong

    Assistant Professor of Sociology, and of Global Gender and Sexuality Studies

    Expertise: labor, work, gender and political economy, especially in China; labor and feminist movements in China and in a global context

    Phone: 716-645-2417

    Email: yigedong@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Negar Elhami-Khorasani, University at Buffalo structural fire engineering and wildland urban interface expert.
    4/7/23

    Negar Elhami-Khorasani

    Associate Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

    Expertise: structural fire engineering, wildfires in wildland-urban interface communities, fire following earthquake, multi-hazard engineering, disaster resilience

    Phone: 716-645-3019

    Email: negarkho@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Trina Hamilton.
    8/16/21

    Trina Hamilton

    Associate Professor of Geography

    Expertise: corporate responsibility, social and environmental activism, diamond trade, gentrification

    Phone: 716-645-0482

    Email: trinaham@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Erin Hatton, University at Buffalo labor, workforce and gig economy expert.
    2/15/23

    Erin Hatton

    Professor of Sociology

    Expertise: labor movements, gig economy, job security, coerced labor, pay for college athletes, minimum wage, workfare

    Phone: 716-645-8476

    Email: eehatton@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Yingjie Hu, University at Buffalo faculty expert on GIScience and data mining.
    12/30/24

    Yingjie Hu

    Associate Professor of Geography

    Expertise: GIScience, spatial analysis, natural language processing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data mining, big data

    Phone: 716-645-1820

    Email: yhu42@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Joyce Hwang, University at Buffalo animal architecture or "habitecture" expert.
    2/4/25

    Joyce Hwang

    Professor of Architecture

    Expertise: animal architecture; habitecture; habitart; wildlife habitats, ecology and architecture

    Phone: 716-829-5906

    Email: jh96@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of James Jensen.
    12/11/23

    James N. Jensen

    Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

    Expertise: public water systems, drinking-water treatment, wastewater treatment

    Phone: 716-645-4007

    Email: jjensen@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Wooksoo Kim, University at Buffalo immigration and refugee resettlement expert.
    12/30/24

    Wooksoo Kim

    Professor of Social Work

    Expertise: immigration; refugee resettlement, acculturation; social determinants of health of Asian immigrants; community-based participatory research

    Phone: 716-645-1227

    Email: wkim5@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Lucia A. Leone, University at Buffalo food access expert.
    1/25/22

    Lucia A. Leone

    Associate Professor of Community Health and Health Behavior

    Expertise: food access, mobile produce markets, WIC, obesity prevention, physical activity

    Phone: 716-829-6953

    Email: lucialeo@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Jordana Maisel, University at Buffalo universal design and inclusive design expert.
    11/2/23

    Jordana Maisel

    Director of Research for the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA Center)

    Expertise: universal design, inclusive design, accessible transit, streetscapes, aging in place

    Phone: 716-829-5902

    Email: jlmaisel@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Elizabeth Mazzolini, University at Buffalo environmental studies, waste studies and consumerism expert.
    8/16/21

    Elizabeth Mazzolini

    Associate Professor of English

    Expertise: Mountaineering deaths, climbing technology, consumerism, material culture, garbage, culture of waste

    Phone: 716-645-0691

    Email: mazz@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Lina Mu, University at Buffalo air pollution expert.
    8/16/21

    Lina Mu

    Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health

    Expertise: air pollution, cancer, particulate matter, environmental epidemiology, air pollution in China

    Phone: 716-829-5381

    Email: linamu@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Sayanti Mukherjee, University at Buffalo predictive analytics and critical infrastructure systems expert.
    9/30/24

    Sayanti Mukherjee

    Assistant Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering

    Expertise: resilient sociotechnical systems, predictive analytics, risk-informed decision-making, public health and health care, electrical grid and energy, climate change impact assessment

    Phone: 716-645-4699

    Email: sayantim@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Ryan Muldoon, University at Buffalo faculty expert on diversity.
    12/30/24

    Ryan Muldoon

    Professor of Philosophy

    Expertise: social and political philosophy, diversity, international development policy, social norms, behavior change, ethics

    Phone: 716-645-0140

    Email: rmuldoon@buffalo.edu

     

     

  • Head shot of Heather Orom, University at Buffalo health disparities expert.
    4/2/25

    Heather Orom

    Associate Professor of Community Health and Health Behavior

    Expertise: health information avoidance, illness risk perception

    Phone: 716-829- 6682

    Email: horom@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Kelly Patterson, University at Buffalo housing and urban development expert.
    4/12/23

    Kelly Patterson

    Associate Professor of Social Work

    Expertise: social welfare policy; cannabis policy; residential segregation; fair housing; gentrification; homelessness; poverty and economic inequality; race and class

    Phone: 716-645-1248

    Email: klp27@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Samina Raja.
    12/26/18

    Samina Raja

    Professor of Urban and Regional Planning 

    Expertise: food access, food systems planning, food and urban planning, local government food policy

    Phone: 716-829-5881

    Email: sraja@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Nicholas Rajkovich, University at Buffalo climate change expert.
    4/20/23

    Nicholas Rajkovich

    Associate Professor of Architecture

    Expertise: climate change and cities; climate adaptation in the Great Lakes region; energy efficiency; renewable energy; climate refuge cities

    Phone: 716-829-6910

    Email: rajkovic@buffalo.edu

     

  • Head shot of Adam Rome, University at Buffalo environmental history and environmental movements expert.
    8/16/21

    Adam Rome

    Professor of Environment and Sustainability

    Expertise: environmental movement in the U.S., environmental history, Earth Day, sustainable business, suburban sprawl

    Phone: 716-645-8665

    Email: adamrome@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Adel Sadek.
    10/26/23

    Adel Sadek

    Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

    Expertise: traffic, traffic at border-crossings, traffic in bad weather, smart cities, electric, autonomous and conventional vehicles

    Phone: 716-645-4367

    Email: asadek@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Robert G. Shibley.
    12/31/24

    Robert G. Shibley

    SUNY Distinguished Professor of Architecture

    Expertise: urban design and planning, urban revitalization, postindustrial cities, Buffalo and Western New York, the Rust Belt

    Phone: 716-829-3981

    Email: rshibley@buffalo.edu

    Contact: Shibley can also be reached through David Hill in UB Media Relations (716-645-4651, davidhil@buffalo.edu) or Rachel Teaman in the School of Architecture and Planning (716-829-3794, rmansour@buffalo.edu).

  • Head shot of Robert Silverman, University at Buffalo affordable housing and gentrification expert.
    5/3/24

    Robert Silverman

    Professor of Urban and Regional Planning

    Expertise: shrinking cities, fair housing, affordable housing, licensing and siting of cannabis dispensaries, gentrification, community development, nonprofit organizations, community-based organizations in urban neighborhoods

    Phone: 716-829-5882

    Email: rms35@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Korydon Smith, University at Buffalo faculty expert on inclusive design and refugee housing.
    8/16/21

    Korydon Smith

    Professor and Chair of Architecture

    Expertise: diversity and social justice in planning and design; inclusive design; refugee housing and settlement planning

    Phone: 716-829-5908

    Email: khsmith@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Kristin Stapleton, University at Buffalo faculty expert on modern China.
    6/26/23

    Kristin Stapleton

    Professor and Chair of History

    Expertise: modern China; U.S.-China relations; Chinese cities; history of the family, socialism and humor in China

    Phone: 716-645-5645

    Email: kstaple@buffalo.edu

     

  • Portrait of Edward Steinfeld, University at Buffalo inclusive design and accessible buildings expert.
    12/31/24

    Edward Steinfeld

    SUNY Distinguished Professor of Architecture

    Expertise: universal design, inclusive design, accessibility, building design, inclusive restrooms, accessible transit, architecture

    Phone: 716-829-5899

    Email: arced@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Kang Sun, University at Buffalo air pollution and climate change expert.
    10/25/21

    Kang Sun

    Assistant Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

    Expertise: air pollution, greenhouse gases, climate change, remote sensing, molecular spectroscopy

    Phone: 716-645-6167

    Email: kangsun@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Henry-Louis Taylor Jr., University at Buffalo urban development and gentrification expert.
    5/14/22

    Henry-Louis Taylor Jr.

    Director of the Center for Urban Studies

    Expertise: urban development, housing, gentrification, underdeveloped neighborhoods, shrinking cities, race and class, U.S.-Cuba relations

    Phone: 716-829-5458

    Email: htaylor@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Shambhu Upadhyaya, University at Buffalo cybersecurity expert.
    8/16/21

    Shambhu Upadhyaya

    Professor of Computer Science and Engineering

    Expertise: cybersecurity, hacking, encryption, cyberattacks, protecting infrastructure from cyber threats

    Phone: 716-645-3183

    Email: shambhu@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Greg A. Valentine.
    2/14/25

    Greg A. Valentine

    UB Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences

    Expertise: volcanoes, volcanic eruptions, disaster preparedness, supervolcanoes

    Phone: 716-645-4295

    Email: gav4@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Andrew Whittaker.
    8/16/21

    Andrew Whittaker

    SUNY Distinguished Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

    Expertise: earthquake engineering; seismic protective systems; blast engineering; bridge engineering; infrastructure; design and assessment of nuclear power plants; performance-based engineering; risk engineering

    Phone: 716-645-4364

    Email: awhittak@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Lillian S. Williams, University at Buffalo U.S. social and urban history expert.
    8/16/21

    Lillian S. Williams

    Associate Professor of Africana and American Studies

    Expertise: U.S. social and urban history; African American history in the U.S. and Western New York; women’s history

    Phone: 716-645-0798

    Email: lsw4@buffalo.edu

  • Head shot of Victoria Wolcott, University at Buffalo civil rights expert.
    9/8/23

    Victoria Wolcott

    Director of the Gender Institute

    Expertise: civil rights, African American history, race and cities, urban history, gender, sexuality

    Phone: 716-645-8411

    Email: vwwolcot@buffalo.edu

  • Portrait of Yinyin Ye, University at Buffalo environmental microbiology and wastewater disease surveillance expert.
    8/16/21

    Yinyin Ye

    Assistant Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering

    Expertise: surveillance and disinfection of pathogens in wastewater and the environment; wastewater-based disease monitoring; environmental microbiology; proteomics

    Phone: 716-645-4002

    Email: yinyinye@buffalo.edu