Alumni
The PhD in Geography, Planning, and Design is appropriate for those seeking careers in research and teaching, in government, or in professional consulting – all of which require a research specialization. So far, over 60 graduates of the program have become faculty members, postdoctoral scholars, researchers, and consultants. Graduates from our program have received positions at diverse academic and professional organizations, and currently, alumni serve on the faculty of the University of Washington, University of Utah, University of Nebraska, Penn State University, Portland State University, Colorado State University, Middle East Technical University (Turkey), Queensland University of Technology (Australia), and many others. Recent graduates also work for federal agencies including the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the Federal Reserve Bank, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Others hold prominent research positions abroad in Kenya, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and elsewhere.
Selected Alumni Profiles
Abdulaziz Alhassan
Previous Education:
BS Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology, King Saud University
Master of Urban Design, University of Colorado Denver
PhD Year:
2021
Dissertation:
"Free For All?”: Gender Equal Rights to Public Space in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Current Title & Organization
Assistant Professor, King Saud University
Alessandro Rigolon
Previous Education:
B.Arch/M.Arch in Architectural Engineering, University of Bologna
PhD in Architecture, University of Bologna
PhD Year:
2015
Dissertation:
Inequities in Young People's Access to Urban Parks: An Environmental Justice Investigation in Denver
Current Title & Organization:
Assistant Professor, University of Utah
Personal Website | LinkedIn Profile | Twitter
Anna Bierbrauer
Previous Education:
BA Performance Theory and Political Systems, George Washington University
MLA, University of Minnesota
PhD Year:
2023
Dissertation:
Erasing, forgetting, and recalling aridity: Denver’s Garden System, 1902-1980
Current Title & Organization:
Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Personal Website | LinkedIn Profile
Bob Taylor
Previous Education:
BA Journalism & Telecommunications, University of Georgia
MS Environmental Science, University of Colorado Denver
PhD Year:
2024
Dissertation:
Remote Sensing Methods for Urban Forest Planning
Personal Website | LinkedIn Profile
Daniel Piatkowski
Previous Education:
BA English, Arizona State University
Master of Urban and Environmental Planning, Arizona State University
PhD Year:
2013
Dissertation:
Estimating Impacts of Interventions Aimed at Promoting Walking and Cycling
Current Title & Organization:
Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Lincoln
Personal Website | LinkedIn Profile
Debra Flanders Cushing
Previous Education:
BLA, Penn State University
MS Restoration Ecology, University of Wisconsin Madison
PhD Year:
2011
Dissertation:
Youth Master Planning in the United States
Current Title & Organization:
Associate Professor, Queensland University of Australia
Personal Website
Enessa Janes
Previous Education:
BS Earth Systems, Stanford University
MS Environmental Communication, Stanford University
PhD Year:
2013
Dissertation:
Evaluating Local Hazard Mitigation Planning: Quality, Public Participation, and Social Vulnerability
Current Title & Organization:
Community Resilience Coordinator, City of Arvada
LinkedIn Profile
APA People Behind the Plans Podcast
Gretel Follingstad
Previous Education:
BA International Business, University of New Mexico
MS Natural Resource Planning, University of New Mexico
PhD Year:
2022
Dissertation:
Pathways Towards Water Resilience in a Warming World
Current Title & Organization:
Assistant Professor, Western Colorado University
Personal Website | LinkedIn Profile
Kara Luckey
Previous Education:
BS Civil Engineering, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science
PhD Year:
2017
Dissertation:
Examining Geographies of Opportunity for Households with Limited Means: An Investigation of Transit Accessibility and Housing Affordability in Eight U.S. Metropolitan Areas
Current Title & Organization:
Research Development Officer, Seattle University
Karen Roof
Previous Education:
BS Political Science/Economics, Radford University
MS Environmental Policy and Management, University of Denver
PhD Year:
2014
Dissertation:
The Influence of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on Redevelopment Plans and Decision-Makers from Cross-Sector Collaboration and HIA Quality
Current Title & Organization:
Executive Director, Safe and Healthy Communities
Maria Delgado
Previous Education:
BA Construction Management, Colorado State University
MArch, University of Colorado Denver
PhD Year:
2018
Dissertation:
A Study of Individual, Public, and Private Sector Factors Affecting Aging in Place Housing Preparedness for Older Adults
Current Title & Organization:
Assistant Professor, Colorado State University
Personal Website
Mehdi Heris
Previous Education:
BA Urban Planning and Design, University of Tehran
MS Urban and Regional Planning, University of Tehran
MA Planning Research and Theory, University of Sheffield
2018
Dissertation:
Do Planning and Design Policies and Procedures Matter In Microclimate Management and Urban Heat Mitigation?
Current Title & Organization:
Assistant Professor, Hunter College
Mohammed Alnaim
Previous Education:
BA Architecture, Imam Abdulrhamn Bin Faisal University
MArch, University of Colorado Denver
PhD Year:
2020
Dissertation:
Searching for Urban and Architectural Core Forms in the Traditional Najdi Built Environment of the Central Region of Saudi Arabia
Current Title & Organization:
Associate Professor, University of Ha'il
Mohammed Bay
Previous Education:
BA Architecture & Building Science, King Saud University
MS Historic Preservation, University of Colorado Denver
PhD Year:
2020
Dissertation:
The Sacred City Assemblage: A Study of the Value-Based Preservation & Heritage Production Process of the Sacred City of Al-Madina
Current Title & Organization:
Assistant Professor, King Saud University
Nader Afzalan
Previous Education:
BS Urban Planning, University of Tehran
MS Urban and Regional Planning, University of Tehran
PhD Year:
2016
Dissertation:
Participatory Plan-making: Whether and How Online Participatory Tools are Useful
Current Title & Organization:
Senior Advisor, California Governor's Office of Planning and Research
Personal Website | LinkedIn Profile | Twitter
Nermeen Dalgamoni
Previous Education:
B.Sc in Architectural Engineering, Al Al-Bayt University
MLA, University of Colorado Denver
PhD Year:
2020
Dissertation:
Food Sovereignty in the Arab World: Understanding Smallholder Farmers Empowerment through Regional Collaborative Strategies
Current Title & Organization:
Assistant Professor, Jordan University of Science and Technology
Rebecca Colbert
Previous Education:
BA Landscape Architecture, University of California, Berkeley
MUD, University of Colorado Denver
PhD Year:
2018
Dissertation:
Youth Participation in Planning and the Development of Competence for Environmental Action: A Multiple Case-Study of the Great Outdoors Colorado Inspire Initiative
Current Title & Organization:
Landscape Architect and Environmental Design Researcher, MIG Inc.
Robert Wonnett
Previous Education:
BS, University of Colorado Boulder
MEd, University of Colorado Boulder
JD, University of Denver
MPA, University of Colorado Denver
PhD Year:
2009
Dissertation:
A Place Apart: The Judicial Interpretation of Campus Place as a Public Forum
Current Title & Organization:
Scholar In Residence, University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Personal Website
Travis Flohr
Previous Education:
BLA, Penn State
MSLA, Penn State
PhD Year:
2019
Dissertation:
Evaluating the integration of CWPP and county governance wildfire risk reduction best practices across the American West: a plan quality review
Current Title & Organization:
Assistant Professor, Penn State
Personal Website | LinkedIn | Twitter
Yiping Fang
Previous Education:
BA Architecture, Tsinghua University
MS Urban Planning, Tsinghua University
PhD Year:
2005
Dissertation:
Residential Satisfaction Conceptual Framework Revisited: A Study on Redeveloped Neighborhoods in Inner City Beijing
Current Title & Organization:
Associate Professor, Portland State University