Grant Saff

Background

About Grant Saff

I am a Professor of Geography in the Department of Global Studies and Geography at Hofstra University, where I have served as Department Chair since its founding in 2008. I designed Hofstra’s Global Studies Program and became its inaugural Director in 2006. I earned my Ph.D. in Urban Planning from the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, where my dissertation received the American Collegiate Schools of Planning’s Barclay Gibbs Jones Award for best dissertation nationwide.At Hofstra, I have chaired multiple university committees and currently serve as Chair of the Chairs Caucus, a member of the Faculty Leadership Group, the AAUP Representative on the University Appeals Board, and a member of several other university committees. I have also supported universities across the country as an external reviewer and consultant on building and sustaining interdisciplinary programs in geography and global studies.My recent research focuses on urban redevelopment and planning in Barcelona. My research on urban segregation and desegregation has appeared in leading journals, including Annals of the Association of American Geographers, The Professional Geographer, Urban Affairs Review, and Journal of Urban and Regional Research. I am also the author of Changing Cape Town: Urban Dynamics, Policy and Planning during the Political Transition in South Africa, and have held visiting faculty appointments at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, and the University of Cape Town.My professional service includes multiple leadership roles within the American Association of Geographers (AAG). I served as Regional Councilor for the Middle States Division (2011–15), as Secretary and Vice President of the division, and as AAG Treasurer (2013–15), during which I served on the Executive Committee and chaired the Finance Committee.Before pursuing my doctorate, I worked as a Project Leader and Urban Development Specialist at the Development Bank of Southern Africa. I later joined the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University, contributing to major initiatives such as the assessment of the Neighborhood Urban Revitalization Program in Minneapolis and the transportation supplement to the New Jersey State Plan. I have also conducted research on the New Jersey Enterprise Zone Program, U.S. integration management programs, and the role of science and technology parks in regional and national development.