معرفی
Sharon Harlan is an Adjunct Professor jointly affiliated with the College of Social Sciences and Humanities and Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University. She holds a PhD in Sociology from Cornell University (1979). Her research examines how climate change impacts human health and inequality through social hierarchies, built environments, and policy frameworks, with specific focus on urban heat and water systems in environmental justice communities.
Research interests center on climate vulnerability, adaptation pathways, and environmental justice. Her work integrates social theory with ecological, geospatial, and health sciences to address unequal risks in marginalized neighborhoods. Key themes include:
- Social production of environmental injustice
- Urban infrastructure failures (electrical grids, water affordability)
- Community-based resilience strategies
Publications consistently analyze climate inequity across desert metropolises, heat mortality patterns, and flood risk perception. Trends reveal interdisciplinary approaches coupling sociological frameworks with environmental modeling to inform policy.
Achievements include the 2016 Outstanding Article Award for landscape ecology research. She advises major organizations like the American Sociological Association and U.S. Global Climate Change Research Program on climate justice. Research is primarily funded by the National Science Foundation through multi-institutional projects examining coupled human-natural systems.
