Samendy is a first-year Master of Architecture student at the University at Buffalo. Her academic interests include designing low-income housing, small businesses, and researching developing countries within the Caribbean. Prior to joining the Food Lab, Samendy earned her Bachelors in Architecture with a minor in Education from the University at Buffalo. Samendy joined the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab as a volunteer research associate in July of 2018. Samendy is currently involved in research and design across Lab projects to aid diverse communities through education, food, and inclusion. This work has helped supplement her current education through understanding planning from a community and food perspective. Outside of the Food Lab, Samendy enjoys painting and biking.
Dr. Alexandra Judelsohn pursues community-based research at the intersection of urban planning, public health, and environmental studies, centering the voices of community members. Her interests are around how cities facing austerity urbanism market themselves to potential residents, and her current research examines the role of refugee-led community organizations in U.S. refugee resettlement and the gaps these organizations fill in delivering services.
Cassandra Granville is an Emerson National Hunger Fellow at the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab. Prior to the Food Lab, Cassandra graduated with a BA in Community and Global Public Health from the University at Michigan. During her time at the University of Michigan, she gained public health research experience supporting the work of agencies local to Southeast Michigan and national health systems such as Kaiser Permanente. Her urban planning coursework during her junior and senior years were transformative in her decision to pursue a career as a city planner. After graduation, she worked as a research assistant at the Ford Policy School where she conducted research and made recommendations to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on strengthening work supports, reducing benefit cliffs, and utilizing two-generation approaches to poverty alleviation. In the Food Lab, Cassandra supports the work of an evaluation project through the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County and General Mills Foundation.
Megan Smith is an Emerson National Hunger Fellow at the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab. Prior to the Food Lab, Megan graduated with a BA in Political Science from Davidson College. During her time at Davidson College, she developed a deep interest in exploring comparative politics, economics, and histories that define urban and rural food landscapes. Her research includes looking at Brazil’s Agri-food industry, urban food insecurity in South Africa’s Cape flats, and China’s Food Safety Regulatory System. In 2018, Megan received the Davidson in Asia Grant, where she spent a summer working for the American Chambers of Commerce Vietnam (AmCham) on their communications and outreach team. She helped launch AmCham’s first seminar podcast series that focused on the critical aspects of Vietnam and U.S. agricultural trade relations. Megan has further explored her interests in Southeast Asia through an internship with the U.S.-Asia Institute. In the Food Lab, Megan supports the work of an evaluation project through the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County and General Mills Foundation.
Biplab is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University at Buffalo. His research interests involve the application of operations research (OR) and systems engineering techniques to solve problems encountered by industry and global health systems. Prior to joining the Food Lab, Biplab earned a Diploma in Business Management and Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from the Symbiosis International University in Pune, India. He later earned his Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University at Buffalo. Biplab is a graduate research assistance at the Community for Global Health Equity (CGHE). Through his work at the CGHE, Biplab has collaborated with colleagues from Engineering & Applied Sciences and Epidemiology & Environmental Health to address healthy inequities in pharmaceutical supply chains in low-resource countries. He has also worked in the Western New York area to increase health literacy among the Karen refugee population. In the Food Lab, Biplab plans to develop a better understanding of challenges in food systems. More information on Biplab can be found on his website, 
Zhu Jin is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Geography program at the University at Buffalo. She began working with the Food Lab in September 2017. Her duties in the Food Lab include GIS data maintenance and visualization, as well as spatial analysis. Her research interests focus on understanding the influence of planning and policy in improving food access and equity in urban areas.
Dr. Wendy Mendes is a scholar-practitioner specializing in the social and health dimensions of urban planning, policy, and local governance. She holds a PhD in Geography from Simon Fraser University (Canada), and was awarded a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Urban Health Initiatives. Her academic work draws from over 17 years of applied experience as a municipal social planner and social policy consultant on topics including sustainable food systems, healthy cities, social infrastructure, and social innovation.
Danielle, who started with the Food Lab as an undergraduate intern, is now a graduate assistant pursuing a dual-degree in business administration and public health. She is also a Western New York Prosperity Fellow.