Professor, Geography
Vivek Shandas is a professor of geography at Portland State in the School of Earth, Environment and Society (SEES). As the founder of the Sustaining Urban Places Research (SUPR) Lab, his team investigates the assumptions that guide the growth of our cities and the built environment with a specific focus on feedback across climate systems, planning and landscape response, public health and social justice. He teaches courses on environmental management, urban forestry, sustainable cities and climate and health.
His research has been supported by over a dozen federal agencies, state, local and philanthropic organizations. The results of this support have generated over 100 scientific articles, five books and support for over 50 undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral staff.
Shandas serves on several local and national advisory boards. In 2023, he was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to serve on the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council, and has also served on the National Climate Assessment and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
His team's work has been featured in dozens of national and international media outlets, including The New York Times, Scientific American, National Geographic, The Guardian, Grist, Smithsonian, Times of India, National Public Radio and The Daily.