Stuart Sweeney

Stuart Sweeney is a Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and serves as Director of the Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research (2012-17) and Department Chair since 2017. He holds a BA in Urban Studies and Planning from UC San Diego and a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on poverty, development trajectories, demography, health, and livelihoods, with a particular emphasis on advanced statistical methods and geospatial analysis. Notable projects include studies on Mexican maize systems, Senegalese peanut farming, and wildfires' socioeconomic impacts. He leads the Sweeney Research Group and co-leads the Population Health in Geography (PHIG) seminar.

Education:

• PhD in Urban and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1999)
• BA in Urban Studies and Planning, UC San Diego

Research Interests:

Dr. Sweeney explores the interplay between demographic processes, socioeconomic development, and environmental factors. His work integrates quantitative methods, spatial analysis, and policy evaluation to address global challenges such as food security, climate adaptation, and health disparities. Recent projects include USAID-funded studies on gender dynamics in Senegalese agriculture and NSF-supported research on maize livelihoods in Mexico.

Funding & Collaborations:

• NSF Human Social Dynamics Program (Mexico maize project)
• USAID Peanut Innovation Lab (Senegal gender study)
• Global climate exposure datasets (UHE-Daily)

Teaching: Teaches the popular Geography of Surfing course, blending coastal geography with cultural analysis.