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.
Featured grants
- 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, 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.

Featured scholarly/creative works
- Ashford-Hanserd, S. N., Sarmiento, E. R., Myles, C. C., Roundtree, A. K., Hayton, M.-P. E., Ybarra, E., … Maleki, S. (2020). African American experiences in the historic Dunbar neighborhood in San Marcos, Texas: A case study of counter-life stories. Social Sciences, 9(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9100177
- 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.
- Sarmiento, E. R. (n.d.). Diverse Food Economies. In Encyclopedia of Food and Society. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
- Le Noc, M. B. D., & Sarmiento, E. R. (2021). 'We were turned into Jews’: Space, subjectivation, and resistance in occupied Paris. Social and Cultural Geography.
Featured awards
- 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

Featured service activities
- Chair
Ad Hoc Committee on DGES Student Conference Planning
- Reviewer / Referee
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
- Reviewer / Referee
University of Minnesota Press
- Coordinator / Organizer
Session organizer and chair, Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers
- Member
Board of Directors, Race, Ethnicity, and Place Conference
- Coordinator / Organizer
Community Economies Network North American Regional Node