Gyan Nyaupane
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Phone: 602-496-0166
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UCENT 545 PHOENIX, AZ 85004-4020
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Mail code: 4020Campus: Dtphx
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Dr Gyan Nyaupane is a Professor in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University, where he served as the Associate Dean of Research for three years . He is also affiliated with the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation as a Senior Global Futures Scientist, and a Graduate Faculty in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication. He served as the Graduate Programs Director in the School of Community Resources and Development for 10 years, where he led to establish and expand the Ph.D. program.
Trained in both natural and social sciences from three continents, his scholarship is truly interdisciplinary and international. He received his doctoral degree from the Pennsylvania State University, master's degree from Lincoln University, New Zealand, and bachelor's degree from the Institute of Forestry, Nepal. He was an Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand in 2018, and has been a Visiting Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa since 2020.
His research interests lie in understanding the human-environment interactions, particularly connecting communities and conservation through tourism. He has done research on various topics, including sustainable tourism, ecotourism, protected area management, public lands, natural resource management, community development, and Indigenous Peoples globally. He has published three books and over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. His research on Global South and the Himalaya has resulted in two co-edited books. The first book, “Cultural Heritage and Tourism in the Developing World: A Regional Perspective” synthesizes global and regional issues, challenges, and practices related to cultural heritage and tourism, especially in less-developed nations. The second book, "Tourism and Development in the Himalaya: Social, Environmental and Economic Forces," brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on nature, society, economic development, poverty, justice, social and environmental vulnerability, faith and culture, Indigenous Peoples, women, geopolitical conflicts, heritage and living culture, attachment to place, and many other concepts to broaden our understanding of tourism and development in the region. His recent co-edited book, "Protected Areas, Sustainable Tourism and Community Livelihood Linkages" aims to connect some of the most pressing global challenges and phenomena of the 21st Century, such as biodiversity loss, environmental disasters, changing livelihoods, and global mobility, through an interdisciplinary approach.
He has led several federal/state-funded research projects to inform the agencies regarding participatory decision-making and community engagement efforts as crucial elements of sustainable development. One of his current projects is focused on cross-border ecological restoration and economic development within the US-Mexico border funded by the Department of Interior/National Park Service and the second project is focused on a statewide comprehensive plan for the state of Arizona on public lands and outdoor recreation. The plan is guided by equity, access, and justice and involves statewide stakeholders, including minority groups. He also led an international research project that explored the changing relationships of Indigenous Peoples with their natural environment in the USA, Australia, and Nepal. His research has been instrumental in envisioning and planning policies for federal, state, tribal, and local land management agencies in Asia, Africa, and the USA.
He served on the Board of Directors for the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) for three years. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Tourism Review International, an ESCI and SCOPUS indexed peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the advancement of scholarly and managerially oriented knowledge in tourism.
He regularly teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on Sustainable Tourism, Critical Issues in Community Development, and Tourism Planning, and supervises doctoral, master's and honors students.
Prior to academia, he worked for governmental and non-governmental organizations.
- Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University
- M.S. Lincoln University, New Zealand
- B.S. Institute of Forestry, Nepal
