I am an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. I have an undergraduate degree in Architecture from India, graduate degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and Environmental Science from the Ohio State University, and a doctoral degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan. My research interests are at the nexus of public policy and urban planning in the broad areas of land use planning, regional planning and cooperation, growth management, and sustainability.

My research specifically focuses on

• the role of collaborative governance (including community engagement) on land use issues,
• the role of plans and ordinances in climate adaptation and shaping the built and natural environments,
• the effectiveness of smart growth and growth management programs

Much of the research I conduct is “engaged research” where the research is co-produced with community or policy stakeholders to better enable direct impacts on the ground.

I am also the Review Editor of the Journal of Planning Education and Research and the Associate Director of the Sociotechnical Systems Center (SSC) at the University of Delaware

I run two research groups:

The Sustainable Places Research (SUPER) group

The Living Lab Research group See: https://living-lab-1-udel.hub.arcgis.com

I am trying to recruit two potential graduate students (flexible on masters or doctoral) on two funded projects. 
1. A project funded by the National Science Foundation focuses on understanding how local decision makers and planners  “assess” and “plan” to confront flooding and salinization vulnerabilities and other climate related impacts in their jurisdictions. This project might be of interest to students who want to participate in community engaged research related to climate adaptation, managed retreat etc.

2. A project funded by the Department of Energy collaborates with frontline communities to co-produce key social indicators of energy justice in the development of offshore wind energy along the east coast of the U.S. and to track those indicators over time. This project might be of interest to students who are focused on community engagement and equity/justice; energy transition etc. 

Contact me if you are interested in applying for the above two positions via the pursuit of a graduate degree (masters or PhD) in the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware.