Aritree Samanta
Contact Information
Biography
Dr. Aritree Samanta is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at San Francisco State University. Prior to teaching at San Francisco State, she held the position of a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University in Indiana. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban and Public Affairs from Cleveland State University, OH and earned her Masters and Bachelors degrees in Social Work and Economics respectively, from University of Delhi, India. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Dr. Samanta works in the areas of governance and collaboration in regional watershed systems, urban adaptation to climate change, and community resilience. During her postdoctoral work, Dr. Samanta conducted research on the social dimensions of watershed management focusing on the intersections between climate change, water quality, and land use management in the U.S. Midwest. Dr. Samanta’s research has appeared in various environmental and public administration journals including Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, and Administrative Theory and Praxis. Her professional work in India included projects in the areas of urban sustainability and climate change adaptation in low-income communities. In the United States, she has held fellowship and research positions with the Alliance for the Great Lakes in Chicago, IL and the Northeast Midwest Institute in Washington D.C.
Teaching Interests
Dr. Samanta’s teaching interests are in the areas of Environmental Policy, Politics, & Administration, Research Methods, Urban and Environmental Governance, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Public Administration Theory, Community Engaged and Participatory Methods. Her teaching philosophy is based on a democratic view of knowledge and the contribution of such knowledge in advancing learning and change. Dr. Samanta has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on Environmental and Sustainable Planning, Environmental Policy, Research Methods for Natural Resources, Introduction to Urban Studies, and Megacities in Asia. By facilitating a participatory learning environment, Dr. Samanta creates openness for inquiry and critical thinking in students.
Research Interests
Dr. Samanta’s research agenda focuses primarily on collaborative approaches to urban and environmental governance, adaptive management, and institutional response to disruptions through adaptation and transformation. She works at the interface of policy and governance as it relates to the human dimension of management of resources. Her current research agenda includes working on the challenges that critical urban infrastructure face and institutional transformation (organizational structure, culture, services) to address the urgent and critical changes in urban social-ecological systems.
Publications
Samanta, A. (2018). Exploring the “In-Between” Place: Dialogue, Hermeneutics, and Transformation in Governance, Administrative Theory & Praxis (Published online ahead of print) Samanta, A. & Kellogg, W.A. (2017).
Swimming Together: Adaptation through Emergence of Knowledge and Learning in Networked Watershed Governance. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 7(3), 403-415. Samanta, A. & Kellogg, W.A. (Forthcoming).
Back to the Beginning: The Resurgence of the Cuyahoga River and Cleveland. In R. Tighe & S. Ryberg-Webster (Eds.). The Legacies of Legacy Cities: Continuity and Change Amid Decline and Revival, University of Pittsburgh Press.