Karim-Aly Kassam is an environmental and social scientist and International Professor of Environmental and Indigenous Studies at Cornell University. He is appointed in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment and in the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program. He is also a member of the Peace and Conflict Studies, Global Development, and Asian Studies Programs. From February to March 2026, Kassam will be working in PRIF’s Research Department Glocal Junctions.
His research topics include biocultural diversity, climate adaptation, food sovereignity, the ecological knowledge of indigenous communities, and pluralistic research approaches. Kassam works collaboratively with indigenous communities and local actors, particularly in regions undergoing significant ecological change, including the circumpolar Arctic, boreal forest areas of North America, and high mountain regions in Central Asia.
Prof. Kassam’s research and teaching is grounded in the service of communities – combining scientific work with ethical responsibility. This involves investigating how biological and cultural diversity mutually reinforce sustainable livelihoods.
His academic career is shaped by an interdisciplinary background: A Bachelor's degree in Economics at the University of Calgary (1987) was followed by an MPhil in Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge (1992), an MSc at the London School of Economics (1993) and a PhD at Cornell University (2005). He has been International Professor at Cornell since 2007.
The strong link between research and social responsibility is also reflected in Prof. Kassam's awards. In 2020, he became a Global Public Fellow at the Einaudi Center at Cornell University, and in 2022 he received the Kendall S. Carpenter Memorial Advising Award. This was followed in 2023 by the Community-Engaged Practice and Innovation Award and the appointment as Professor Honoris Causa at the American University of Central Asia. In 2024, he was awarded the Freedom of Expression Fellowship for his work as a Global Public Intellectual. In the same year, he received the Career Achievement Award for International Impact from the University of Calgary for research engaging Indigenous Knowledge and applied sciences resulting in a methodology and pedagogy of hope for the climate crisis. He was also acknowledged for promotion of peace and rescuing young refugees. In 2025, Professor Kassam received a Fellowship to undertake archival research on the Foundations of Pluralism at the Helmrich Center for American Research in Tulsa, Oklahoma.