CMU alum returns as geography and environmental studies assistant professor

The College of Science and Engineering is proud to welcome Dr. Adam Gallaher as a new assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. A two-time CMU graduate, Gallaher earned his bachelor’s degree in 2017 and master’s degree in 2019 before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut in 2023. Most recently, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University.

Gallaher grew up in the Chicago suburbs and is the first in his family to earn a Ph.D. During his time at UConn, he served as an NSF-NRT Fellow in the Team-TERRA program and earned the university’s Provost’s Award for Excellence in Community Engaged Scholarship in 2022 for creating and maintaining a public-facing COVID-19 interactive dashboard for the state of Connecticut.

Now back at CMU, Gallaher serves not only as a faculty member in geography and environmental studies but also as a faculty mentor to Central Sustainability, CMU’s student-run office of sustainability. His research and teaching focus on systems thinking, sustainability, and the energy transition, topics he approaches with a passion that traces back to his student days at CMU.

“I didn’t seriously consider becoming a professor until the latter half of my undergraduate studies,” Gallaher said. “Coming from a family rooted in traditional corporate business careers, I had no clear examples of what it meant to be a professor or how to pursue that path. Fortunately, I found that guidance through the caring faculty at CMU. Their mentorship filled a gap I hadn’t realized existed and helped me begin to see a future I hadn’t previously imagined.”

Gallaher’s curiosity for understanding complex systems first showed up in childhood, whether through building intricate LEGO sets or memorizing car makes and models during family road trips. A college course in sustainability and environmental science helped him recognize how that same systems-oriented thinking could be applied to real-world challenges like renewable energy, land use, and conservation.

Today, Gallaher brings that mindset into his classroom. “Students benefit from exposure to systems thinking because it helps them see the interconnectedness of ecological, social, and technological dimensions of sustainability,” he said. “My goal is to prepare them to tackle complex, real-world problems in whatever career path they choose to follow, while also creating a supportive environment where they feel encouraged to ask questions and engage across disciplines.”

For Gallaher, returning to CMU is both a professional and personal homecoming. “As both an undergraduate and graduate student, I found community among my peers and professors, relationships that remain to this day, nearly 13 years later,” he said. “What stood out to me then, and continues to define CMU today, is its unique balance between producing high-impact research and maintaining a strong commitment to education. I am committed to being an engaged, available, and supportive mentor to my students because I know firsthand how important those relationships can be.”

Outside of his academic work, Gallaher enjoys hiking, building LEGO sets, reading, and spending time with friends and family.