Environmental Social Work

Sanoop is a doctoral student in the College of Social Work. His research broadly focuses on environmental justice, particularly the impact of environmental changes on the well-being of vulnerable communities and their efforts to mitigate and adapt to these impacts. His research explores interventions aimed at improving community resilience, adaptive capacity, and overall well-being through community-engaged participatory approaches. Currently, Sanoop is working on projects related to enhancing the resilience of marginalized communities to natural disasters in Florida.

John Mathias is an assistant professor with dual expertise in the fields of anthropology and social work. His research and teaching interests focus on environmental justice and community action. He studies how environmental hazards, such as pollution and tornadoes, affect vulnerable and under-resourced communities. He also studies how people within communities respond to such threats and work to bring about their visions of environmental justice. He teaches about macro social work, including topics such as community organizing, civil engagement and social movements.