Laxmi Ramasubramanian

Interim Associate Dean, Research

Dr. Laxmi Ramasubramanian, an architect and a certified urban planner, joined SJSU in 2019 as the Chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. She holds a Master’s degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in Environment-Behavior Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in addition to holding a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Architecture from her home country, India. She has a wealth of research, teaching, and administrative experience gained through working at universities in the United States and abroad.  

Dr. Ramasubramanian is the author of two books, Geographic Information Science and Public Participation and Essential Methods for Planning Practitioners: Skills and Techniques for Data Analysis, Visualization, and Communication along with numerous peer-reviewed book chapters, journal articles, and conference proceedings. As an engaged scholar and educator, Dr. Ramasubramanian is committed to preparing thoughtful and engaged planning practitioners who can work collaboratively to address critical technical and societal challenges while simultaneously addressing issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. During her academic career, she has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on 28 research projects and raised over USD $2 Million in grants and contracts. In her current research funded by the National Science Foundation, she is working with educators and practitioners to empower academic women in the geospatial sciences.  

Dr. Ramasubramanian previously served as the elected President of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science from 2012-2014. Dr. Ramasubramanian currently serves as the President of the Association of the Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP), an alliance of over 115 planning programs in North America.