Kaitlyn Spangler

Kaitlyn Spangler, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Community Development and Engagement at The Pennsylvania State University. Her work bridges geospatial data science and social justice to address sustainability challenges in agri-food systems.

• Education: Ph.D. in Environment and Society (Utah State University), M.S. in Geography (Virginia Tech), B.S. in Community, Environment, and Development, and B.A. in Anthropology (both from Penn State)

Spangler's research focuses on disentangling inequities in agri-food systems through interdisciplinary methodologies that combine:

• Collaborative governance of socioecological landscapes
• Integration of 'big' geospatial data with 'deep' social livelihoods data
• Critical data science applications for community-building
• Climate justice frameworks in land use analysis

Her scholarship emphasizes community-engaged research praxis, aiming to cultivate new socioecological imaginaries through:

• Qualitative methodologies for participatory fieldwork
• Agrobiodiversity conservation strategies
• Equitable land use policy development