Sudha Arlikatti
Summer 2009 WAS*IS

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. I have an undergraduate degree in Architecture and a graduate degree in City Planning from my home country India. I worked for eight years as an architectural consultant and lecturer in the Sultanate of Oman and India before getting a doctoral degree in Urban and Regional Science from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University in August 2006. My research to date includes studies on the use of Geographic Information Systems to map environmental disputes;  a study of the Texas Gulf coast residents and their accuracy in using hurricane risk area maps to evacuate; households decision to take protective actions against seismic risks in southern California and western Washington; the long term recovery and rebuilding of tsunami affected rural households in coastal India; and mapping recurring unmet needs of evacuating populations using United Way’s  2-1-1 information and referral database. I have published in premier disaster journals including Risk Analysis, International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters, Earthquake Spectra, and Environmental Management.

The courses I teach in the BS in Emergency Administration and Planning program and the Master of Public Administration at the University of North Texas include, Introduction to EM, Disaster Response and Recovery, International Disaster Management – Study Abroad in Turkey/ Thailand, Special Populations in Disasters, Introduction to Planning, and Environmental Planning and Hazards Management. I anticipate that through my involvement with WAS*IS I will be able to network, learn, and share my research experiences and challenges with a cohort of esteemed practitioners and community stakeholders from interdisciplinary fields. The extended beneficiaries of this workshop would be the 150-175 graduate and undergraduate students I teach and mentor every semester. It is my hope to act as a catalyst in inspiring the next generation to think about issues of climate change, environmental sustainability, and disaster resiliency in the light of integrated weather and social science research.
View my CV --> SOI