Lanika is a doctoral student in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on food-informed climate planning, exploring the role of food systems in adapting to and mitigating climate change, and local governments’ role in translating these circumstances into action.
Building on her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sociology from St. Lawrence University (2017), Lanika spent two service years working to address food inequities in the U.S., investigating and employing urban agriculture as a means of building community resilience. These experiences sparked Lanika’s interest in food policy and community planning, inspiring her to pursue a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University at Buffalo (2020). While there, she worked as a Research Assistant in the Community Resilience Lab, and a Research Associate at the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, collaborating with colleagues across disciplines and geographies through the Community for Global Health Equity.