Category Archives: Our Team

Sid Clarke

Sid Clarke is currently pursuing a Master of Urban Planning at the University at Buffalo. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, they were first introduced to urban agriculture in high school during an internship with the City Parks Foundation, where they spent eight months working in a community garden. They graduated with a Bachelor’s in Anthropology from the City University of New York- Brooklyn College, where they conducted their senior ethnographic research project on food access inequities and environmental racism in predominantly Black communities in New York City and Washington DC. Their interests within planning include food systems, climate justice, and sustainable urban design. They hope to use green urban design to advocate for sustainable infrastructure that supports the health and autonomy of people and the planet, and to endorse community focused equitable urban agriculture and nontraditional food retail to address the systemic inequities that communities of color face in the food system. In their free time, Sid enjoys hiking, pottery and crocheting to unwind.

Justin Kleppel

Justin Kleppel is a graduate student at UB completing his Master’s in Public Health. Originally from New York City, Justin has a deep passion for cities and the health outcomes of those who live in them. Prior to his Master’s, Justin completed his undergraduate degree in Public Health at the University at Buffalo. He aspires to fix food insecurity and health inequalities at the root and believes planning is a tool to accomplish this. Outside of the Food Lab, Justin enjoys coffee and sports. He is also an athlete competing internationally in track & field, and bobsled.

Alissa Ujie Diamond

Alissa Ujie Diamond is an assistant professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. Diamond’s work focuses on histories of spatialized inequity and action-research as a basis for systems change in the contemporary world. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she draws on an early career in applied architectural and landscape design as well as scholarly frameworks from environmental history, geography, plant humanities, urban planning, and ethnic studies.

Her historical research focuses on racial capitalism and spatial development, probing how social hierarchies have been produced through city-building practices and structures, and how these uneven processes of extraction reach into the present. Her work makes visible the processes and histories of racialized extraction, and explores material, ecological, and social entanglements across time and space to recover possibilities for worlding beyond extractive capitalism.

Her future-facing work focuses on historically-informed and community-driven research for intervention in current institutional systems. In this part of her research, she works across various dimensions. First, her work assesses current institutional frameworks through the lens of equity, and aims to build institutional structures that center action-research for institutional accountability and redistribution of power and knowledge. Her work also combines historical examination and critical ethnic studies frameworks with contemporary technologies to build ethical tools for redistribution of power and resources. Finally, she draws on her background as a landscape architect and artist to develop methods for engaging art, making, and design to build solidarities and shared historical understandings of place and people.

Della Miller

Ms. Della Miller is the 2024 Community Advisor for Research that is Equitable (CARE) Fellow in the UB Food Lab, where she provides guidance and advice on all Buffalo-focused community-related research projects. She is a passionate advocate and experienced consultant in multiple spheres, including community health, education and generational wealth for underserved and low-income communities. A distinguished leader in the field of food equity, Ms. Miller has founded or co-founded multiple food-related initiatives in Buffalo, NY, including St. Augustine’s Food Co-Op and Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers Food Co-Op. As a trained food service expert, she has supported the planning, design, and execution of commercial kitchens with a view toward health and safety. Additionally, she has lent her expertise as a member of the Black Farmers United – NYS, and Buffalo Black Chamber of Commerce, and as a board member of the Clean Air Coalition. She currently serves on the board of Buffalo Freedom Gardens, Inc., a not-for-profit organization committed to helping people grow their own food to support their destinies, and provide for their families while building a loving, healing community that is thriving, healthy and well.

Matthew Tilly

Matthew Tilly graduated from Binghamton University (SUNY) with a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies – Environmental Policy & Law, and Geography – Urban & Regional Planning. Since completing his undergraduate studies, he has worked for the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation in Albany, and is currently employed with the Warren County Government in Lake George, both positions utilizing Geographic Information Systems. Before going back to school, Matthew planned to acquire years of experience in the professional world. His career trajectory moving forward is to pursue a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Urban Planning. In the Food Lab, Matthew will be working alongside the GIS team to update and maintain the two dashboards for the CHEER project, in addition to completing data analysis tasks as needed. His hobbies include video and board games, playing tennis, and spending time with his family’s two labrador retrievers.

Faithwin Gbadamos

Faithwin Gbadamos is a PhD student in the Department of Geography. Her research is centered on the nexus of sustainability, health, and development. Her research seeks to answer questions about environmental degradation linked to food security, livelihood impacts, and adaptation strategies. She uses the power of geospatial analysis to gain insights into the relationship between spatial dynamics and social factors. At the Food lab, Faithwin is responsible for tasks involving geographic information.

Prior to starting her PhD, Faithwin explored diverse sectors, including energy and telecommunications, providing her with firsthand insights into these sectors and the critical need for sustainable practices. This experience solidified her unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and health. Faithwin graduated from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria with a bachelor’s degree in Geography.

Carlos J. Calderon Jr

Carlos J. Calderon Jr is an undergraduate student at UB majoring in biomedical sciences and pursuing minors in public health and urban planning. A life-long resident of the East Side, he is invested in understanding the social and environmental determinants of health and putting this knowledge to action in the field of medicine. His lived experiences drive his passion to strive for equity in the physical areas where he grew up, which have shaped his academic pursuits. His long-term goal is to influence legislative change for health equity. Carlos is a McNair Scholar and a member of the Honors College and Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program.

In the Food Lab, Carlos is beginning preliminary work on a research project which aims to explore the impact of people’s inaccessibility to food on public health in the East Side. In his free time, Carlos enjoys running, biking, and eating at new places.

Mohammad Khurram Qureshi

Mohammad Khurram Qureshi is a passionate advocate for civil, political, and socio-economic rights. He is driven by the conviction that law is a powerful tool for fostering justice and equality. As a licensed attorney from Kashmir, Khurram has dedicated his career to legal aid and social litigation, beginning his advocacy journey during law school. His commitment to human rights and public accountability has seen him collaborate with prominent organizations such as the J&K Right to Information Movement, focused on social justice.

Khurram is the serving President of the Young Lawyers Forum, a non-profit legal organization dedicated to promoting legal awareness and social advocacy in Kashmir. He holds an integrated Bachelor in Arts and Law degree from the Central University of Kashmir. During his law school tenure, he demonstrated exceptional leadership as the Vice President of the Law Society. He is an admitted LL.M. candidate at the University of Wisconsin Law School and will begin his studies there in fall 2024. Khurram’s unwavering dedication to social advocacy continues to inspire his work, making him a formidable force in the pursuit of justice. In his free time, he likes to go hiking, camping, and kayaking.

Saad Mustafa Shonthu

Saad Mustafa Shonthu is interested in critical discourse, and the intersection of culture, politics, and religion. He works as a Disinformation Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières, alternatively known as Doctors Without Borders. He also works as a Country Analyst for a UK Government program managed by Ecorys. He has a Master’s degree in Media in Development from SOAS University of London, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He loves the mountains. He treks, travels, and reads non-fiction.

Maheen Akram

Maheen Akram holds a Bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College, where she successfully pursued a double major in Economics and Political Science, setting the foundation for her academic and professional pursuits. Immediately after graduating from Wellesley, Maheen spent three years working at Goldman Sachs, Ayco Financial Management. Her experience at Goldman provided her with valuable insights into the complexities and inequities of the financial world and its impact on individuals and communities. Driven by a strong desire to contribute to the advancement of financial literacy and inclusion, Maheen aspires to pursue a Ph.D. to delve into the impact of financial education on individuals’ investment decisions. Her research interests focus on how targeted financial education initiatives can empower underserved communities and lead to improved financial decision-making. Currently, Maheen is serving as a board member and the Secretary for the Kashmir Education Initiative, a 503c non-profit organization that plays a crucial role in providing educational opportunities to underserved students in Kashmir. Her dedication to promoting education and empowerment underscores her strong belief in the transformative power of knowledge. Maheen enjoys camping, cooking, and playing team sports in her free time.