Dr. Haniyeh Shariatmadary holds her Ph.D. in Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship from the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), home to UDC Food Hub and five LandGrant programs. Dr. Shariatmadary's research has focused on evaluating sustainability contributions of local food production. Her past research published in the Journal of Sustainability was the first to use a systematic approach to evaluate US Food Hubs' contribution to social and environmental sustainability.