Sara O'Connor

Sara O’Connor, Ph.D., is the associate director of the Geo-SpACE Lab and a lecturer in the Department of Geography in the College of Liberal Arts at Cal State Long Beach.

Her research focuses on community engagement in disaster preparedness and response, as well as addressing environmental injustice in the built environment. She teaches courses in hazard and risk assessment, research design, qualitative research methods, Middle East geography, and special topics in directed study. O’Connor collaborates with a range of community partners, including nonprofit organizations, foundations, city government representatives, and emergency management agencies.

She earned her doctorate in urban planning and public policy from the University of California, Irvine; a master’s degree in urban planning from New York University; and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Bryn Mawr College.