Faculty Profiles

Colleges and Departments

Dr. Eric Ryan Sarmiento

  • Associate Professor - Dept of Geography & Environmntl Studies
  • Associate Professor - Dept of Geography & Environmntl Studies

Biography and education

I am a critical human geographer with expertise in urban geography, cultural geography, and political ecology. I use a range of qualitative methods to examine the dynamic relationships between environmental politics, economy, and culture in the context of urban governance and change, particularly as experienced by local communities.
  • Sarmiento, Eric Ryan. Documenting and defending Latin placemaking in San Marcos, Texas, Research Enhancement Program, Texas State University, $7887. (Submitted: October 2022, Funded: January 2023 - Present). Grant.
  • Sarmiento, Eric Ryan. Co-producing knowledge of chronic flooding for community resilience, NAS Gulf Research Program, Federal, $76000. (Submitted: January 15, 2021, Funded: June 2021 - June 2023). Grant.
  • Sarmiento, Eric Ryan. The Transformative Potential of Urban Food Hubs in the Gentrifying City, Texas State University, $8000. (Funded: January 2020 - Present). Grant.
  • Ashford-Hanserd, Shetay Nicole (Principal), Percent Contribution: %25, Sarmiento, Eric Ryan (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %25, Rayburn, Steven W (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %25, Myles, Colleen Crystal (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %25, Davio, Rebecca Lynn (Supporting), Fox, Rebekah L (Supporting), Guajardo, Miguel (Supporting), Valencia, Louie Dean (Supporting), Valle, Rosina Ruiz (Supporting). #ReclaimDunbar: A community needs assessment for the Dunbar arts, cultural and innovation district, Multidisciplinary Team Formation (MTI) Grant, Texas State University, Texas State University, $1000. (Funded: July 1, 2018 - December 31, 2019). Grant.
  • Sarmiento, E. R. (2025). Diverse Food Economies. In Encyclopedia of Food and Society. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
  • Sarmiento, E. R. (2025). Making and unmaking cooperative subjects in the Oklahoma Food Cooperative. Journal of Cooperative Studies, 58(3), 54–65.
  • Moore, B., Sarmiento, E. R., & Solem, M. (2025). Toward a Critical Geography Education: Black Feminism, Blues Epistemology, and Fugitivity. Journal of Geography, 124(5), 161–168. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/00221341.2025.2559321
  • Landstrom, C., Sarmiento, E. R., & Whatmore, S. (2024). Stakeholder engagement does not guarantee impact: A co-productionist perspective on model-based drought research. Social Studies of Science, 54(2), 210–230.
  • Truman, M., & Sarmiento, E. R. (2024). ‘When this thing hit’: Examining the impacts of COVID-19 on the blues-based cultural economy of Clarksdale, Mississippi. Social and Cultural Geography, 25(7), 1044–1063.
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  • Award / Honor Nominee: Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching, Texas State University. 2021
  • Award / Honor Recipient: 2020 Teaching Award of Honor, Texas State Alumni Association. 2020
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Conference Travel Award, Urban Geography Speciality Group, Association of American Geographers. 2014
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Conference Travel Awards, Graduate School, Rutgers University. 2009 - 2014
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Graduate Teaching Excellence Award, Geography Department, Rutgers University. 2013
View all awards
  1. Member

    National Council, American Association of Geographers

  2. Reviewer / Referee

    Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

  3. Reviewer / Referee

    University of Minnesota Press

  4. Coordinator / Organizer

    Session organizer and chair, Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers

  5. Member

    Board of Directors, Race, Ethnicity, and Place Conference

  6. Coordinator / Organizer

    Community Economies Network North American Regional Node

  7. View all activities