Rajul Pandya

Pandya joined Arizona State University as the Fulton Presidential Professor of Practice in Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and Executive Director of the Global Futures Education Lab in 2024. Before that he served as the Vice-President of Community Science and founding Director of the Thriving Earth Exchange at the American Geophysical Union.

Educated as a physicist and atmospheric scientist, Pandya brings a history of working at the intersection of science, education and community partnerships to advance understanding of the scientific and social dimensions of sustainability. His work has focused on how the sciences can be more participatory, how community participation contributes to scientific innovation and societal relevance, and science as a community and human right.

Raj invites everyone—especially people from communities who have been historically excluded —to help build sustainable futures where people and nature thrive together. 

Land Acknowledgement

I live and work in land taken from the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) peoples, who shared, cared for, and borrowed from this land in a rich and reciprocal relationship. I am part of a nation with a history of enslaving people and ongoing harms from that practice. As part of a community of nations, I acknowledge the legacy and continuing damage of colonial practices. Finally, as a human, I am connected to all of nature, but have too often behaved as if I weren't. I share this to remind myself to include, in my work as a scientist and person, efforts to repair past harms and collaborate toward better futures. The goal is justice and reconciliation—not victory.

Photo by Beth Bagley, AGU