Pavri, Firooza
Firooza Pavri
Dr. Pavri is a Professor of Geography and joined the University of Southern Maine in 2004. Before joining USM, Firooza lived in the Midwest and received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Toledo and Ohio State University, respectively. She is originally from India, and research and family take her back there frequently. She is also the Director of the Master’s program in Policy, Planning, and Management at the Muskie School.
Pavri, F., Aber, J. S., & Aber, S. W. (2012). Wetland environments: a global perspective. John Wiley & Sons.
Pavri, F., & Aber, J. S. (2004). Characterizing wetland landscapes: a spatiotemporal analysis of remotely sensed data at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas. Physical Geography, 25(1), 86-104.
Pavri, F. (2010). Urban expansion and sea-level rise related flood vulnerability for Mumbai (Bombay), India using remotely sensed data. Geospatial techniques in urban hazard and disaster analysis, 31-49.
Pavri, F., Springsteen, A., Dailey, A., & MacRae, J. D. (2013). Land use and socioeconomic influences on a vulnerable freshwater resource in northern New England, United States. Environment, development and sustainability, 15, 625-643.
Pavri, F., & Deshmukh, S. (2003). Institutional efficacy in resource management: temporally congruent embeddedness for forest systems of western India. Geoforum, 34(1), 71-84.
Dr. Firooza Pavri was born in 1970 in Bombay, India. Her father was an architect, and her mother was a kindergarten teacher. While growing up, Dr. Pavri’s parents took her and her sister on several trips across India. Dr. Pavri says those travels allowed her to experience India’s cultural and environmental diversity, and “that sparked an interest in me. I didn’t know I would make a career out of it [environmental science], but it was in the back of my mind” (2016).
Dr. Pavri completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Bombay, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in geography in 1991. As an undergraduate, she became interested in the emerging Geographic Information Systems (GIS) field. GIS is a method used to look at satellite images of the Earth and can be used to document and monitor environmental change over time. Dr. Pavri saw GIS and remote sensing as perfect mergers between her interest in technology and environmental studies; however, that technology was not widely available in India then. “That was my primary reason for coming to America – to gain access to that new technology,” she says (2006). Thus, following her undergraduate studies, Dr. Pavri left India to attend the University of Toledo in Ohio, where she obtained a master’s degree in geography and planning in 1994. She pursued doctoral studies at Ohio State University and received her doctorate in geography in 1999.
After receiving her doctorate, Dr. Pavri spent five years as an assistant professor at Emporia State University in Kansas. She taught classes that blended geography and environmental issues and emphasized her GIS and remote sensing expertise. Dr. Pavri says that as her first teaching experience, the position was challenging and sometimes overwhelming. She taught classes of up to ninety students, but though “it was daunting initially, it was also great” (2006). She also developed a love for the Kansas landscape: “It was the first time I lived in the Great Plains, and the environment and culture was unique. It was a wonderful experience” (2016). While working at Emporia State University, she co-directed a GeoSpatial Analysis Program.
In 2004, Dr. Pavri began teaching at the University of Southern Maine as Assistant Professor of Geography. Dr. Pavri’s move to the University of Southern Maine allows her to serve as both a formal advisor and informal mentor to students in the field, a position she enjoys. “Interacting with these students has been my greatest reward since moving to this University,” she says (2006). She teaches courses in geography, environmental studies, and remote sensing. Her research seeks to explain ecological change in two geographic contexts: the Western Ghats of India and the American Great Plains. In 2008, Dr. Pavri was promoted to Associate Professor of Geography. In 2012, Dr. Pavri co-authored her first book, Wetland Environments: A Global Perspective.
Dr. Pavri’s professional success reflects her love for her chosen career. She has received numerous grants for her research, perhaps the most notable being a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) grant for her research involving satellite imagery in documenting environmental change. “The research I’ve accomplished thus far has been related to resource use and sustainability in forest and wetland environments,” Dr. Pavri says (2006). These grants have allowed her to pursue her areas of interest and have helped her gain recognition in the scientific community.
She researched both the Western Ghats of India and the American Great Plains, examining the decline of biodiversity in those areas. Dr. Pavri says that in addition to her research, she also enjoys teaching. “Teaching is my way to give back to the community,” she says (2006). She has also published articles in several scientific journals, including Geoforum and Physical Geography.
Despite her many accomplishments, Dr. Pavri believes she still has much work to do. She says it is too soon for her to cite career highlights. She acknowledges that she has faced challenges in her career but does not dwell on them, stating that they are temporary and can be learning tools when necessary.
In 2015, Dr. Pavri became a full Professor of Geography and co-authored her second book, Windscapes: A Global Perspective on Wind Power. Since 2016, she has been the Assistant Dean of the Muskie School of Public Service. Her current research focuses on the sub-Arctic and Arctic regions of Iceland and Greenland, where she monitors icecap changes with satellite data.
Dr. Pavri knows from personal experience how helpful a mentor can be. She cites two as being particularly important in her academic and professional career. The first, Lawrence Brown, was a geography professor and her doctoral committee chair at Ohio State University. Dr. Pavri says Dr. Brown was instrumental in helping her navigate the doctoral process and was always available to answer her questions. Dr. Brown has continued to shape her professional development over the past ten years, and the two remain friends.
Dr. Pavri’s second mentor, James Aber, is a professor at Emporia State University. Dr. Pavri has worked with Dr. Aber on several published scientific articles and research projects. “Because our research interests in satellite imaging coincide, Jim Aber and I have collaborated on research projects aimed at documenting changes in rural resources (both forests and wetlands) due to human influence and climatic factors,” Dr. Pavri says (2006). Though he was a more informal mentor, Dr. Pavri credits Dr. Aber for encouraging and reinforcing her professional goals.
Dr. Pavri faced challenges as an international student at a U.S. university. This experience taught Dr. Pavri to be active in diversity and international student issues throughout her academic and professional career. While teaching at Emporia State, she joined an international student association, a positive and supportive group. Dr. Pavri is involved in the international student group at the University of Southern Maine, where she enjoys mentoring many students.
Dr. Pavri remains in the field of geography and the environment because her work is fulfilling and combines her interests with pressing challenges. “I have always been keenly interested in environmental change and resource scarcity issues,” she says (2016). “There is much to be done in promoting awareness and identifying more appropriate policy mechanisms to deal with environmental degradation” (2016). Drawing on her own experiences, Dr. Pavri advises students of color interested in an environmental career to get involved in something they are passionate about. “Look for the next challenge and work hard,” she says (2016). “That’s what keeps me in this field and interested in my work” (2016).
Firooza Pavri, PhD. University of Southern Maine. https://usm.maine.edu/directories/people/firooza-Pavri/
Interview conducted by Multicultural Environmental Leadership Development Initiative staff. 2016. University of Michigan – School of Natural Resources and Environment. Ann Arbor, MI.
Taylor, Dorceta (Ed.). 2006. The Paths We Thread: Profiles of the Careers of Minority Environmental Professionals: II. Minority Environmental Leadership Development Initiative, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.