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Nataya Friedan is a social anthropologist whose work focuses on climate adaptation and misinformation in North American cities. Her current book project, 'Selling Swampland Yankees', examines the political life of scientific evidence in Houston, Texas, an oil industry town experiencing significant climate change impacts. This ethnography follows businessmen, politicians, residents, and activists as they renegotiate economic concepts of externality in the process of planning flood infrastructure. Friedan's research has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Wenner Gren Foundation. Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard University. In 2023, she received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Stanford University, where she co-founded Collectivo Catalyst, an advocacy network and educational fellowship program aimed at rethinking the War on Drugs for young people and educators in North and South America. The program's curriculum and materials enable participants to connect personal experiences with macro-political issues that thoroughly impact their lives. Prior to graduate school, Friedan served as a Program Manager for the Roosevelt Institute in New York City and for Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI) in Mumbai.
Cornell University • Ithaca, NY
Conducting research on urban climate adaptation and misinformation.
Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University •
Engaged in research and academic activities.
Roosevelt Institute • New York City
Managed programs related to urban issues.
Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI) • Mumbai
Worked on issues related to housing and urban development.
Department of Architecture