Lucie Laurian is a Professor of Urban and Regional planning, and the Director of the University of Iowa School of Planning and Public Affairs. After studying Sociology and Demography in Paris, France, she received her Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has lived in Iowa City and taught at the University of Iowa since 2004. Her research focuses on urban sustainability, environmental justice, and the implementation of local sustainability policies. She has been active in local food systems in a variety of ways, from working with the Johnson County Local Food Alliance in the late 2000s, to serving as an advisor to the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, and as a member of Iowa Pollinators, LLC. which provides loans to local food businesses.