Help us welcome three new faculty, Sarah Hofmeyer, Bo Kapatsila, and Sabrina Harris to the School of Planning and Public Affairs. 

Assistant Professor Sarah Hofmeyer was raised in Iowa and received bachelor’s degrees in political science and public administration at the University of Northern Iowa. She then went on to the University of Kansas where she received a master’s in urban and regional planning and PhD in public administration in Spring 2024. Sarah’s research addresses government action and administrative burden in the United States agri-food system. Her work focuses on developing a more sustainable, stewarding, and community-centered food system.

Bogdan Kapatsila completed a PhD at the University of Alberta, Canada, receiving the 2024 Network on European Communications and Transport Activities Research (NECTAR) PhD Award for his dissertation, "The Use of Behavioural Insights for Crowding Management on Public Transit.” He holds an MS in urban and regional planning from the University of Iowa and was a Fulbright Graduate Student, Edmond S. Muskie Professional Fellow, and Hatfield Resident Fellow during that time. Bogdan received a BS in automation and computer integrated technologies and MS in civil engineering at Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University, Ukraine. Bogdan's research is primarily concerned with the sustainability and equity of transportation systems, particularly how land use, built environment, technology, and transport policy influence people's travel behavior and impact their well-being. 

Sabrina Harris holds a BS and MS in architecture and urban planning from the University of São Paulo’s School of Architecture and Urbanism (Brazil), with a thesis on mobility and equity issues related to the spatial structure of São Paulo Metropolitan Area. She has additionally conducted studies on the impact of urban interventions in São Paulo and interned assisting the ADA Coordinator at the Department of City Planning of Pittsburgh, PA. Sabrina also has a minor in civil engineering from the University of São Paulo’s Polytechnic School and a graduate certificate in business administration from Insper (Brazil), both obtained while working as a real estate business consultant for CTE. In that role, she developed methodology and coordinated feasibility studies and financial monitoring of greenfield and brownfield real estate developments.