Amanda Aykanian

Amanda Aykanian is an Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo's School of Social Work. Her research focuses on homeless service systems, workforce challenges, and policy implementation with an emphasis on equity. She leads the National Homeless Services Workforce Study and co-leads the Grand Challenge to End Homelessness initiative.

Education:

• PhD in Social Work, University at Albany (2020)
• MA in Applied Sociology, University of Massachusetts Boston (2013)
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Framingham State University (2007)

Research Interests: Dr. Aykanian examines geographic mobility's impact on service access, frontline worker well-being during crises like the pandemic, and curricular innovations in social work education related to homelessness. She advocates for systemic changes to improve service delivery and workforce retention through mixed-methods approaches.

Key Contributions:

• Developed the Council on Social Work Education's Curricular Guide for Addressing Homelessness
• Co-edited Homelessness Prevention and Intervention in Social Work
• Principal Investigator for multiple studies on homelessness policy and workforce resilience

Grants & Leadership:

• National Homeless Services Workforce Study (PI)
• Former Research Lead for National Center for Excellence in Homeless Services
• National Co-Lead for Ending Homelessness Grand Challenge

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with Temple University and Millersville University researchers through the National Homeless Services Workforce Study consortium.