Tim Finan

Co-Founder, MDP Program
Professor, Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology

Dr. Tim Finan is Co-Founder of the MDP program and a Research Anthropologist and Professor of Anthropology in the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA) within the School of Anthropology. For 15 years, he was the Director of BARA, during which time BARA’s engagement in development research became firmly established. Dr. Finan has worked in applied development as a researcher and practitioner for over 30 years. His field experience spans across most African countries, Latin America, South and East Asia, and the Near East. He has extensive, ongoing research programs in Northeast Brazil and Bangladesh. His principal interests lie in the environment and social interactions, adaptation to climate variability and climate change, governance, and food security. His recent publications have focused on the role of governance, particularly participatory institutions, in building resilience to climate change. He teaches development and global change at the University of Arizona.