Atmaezer Hariara Simanjuntak
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Atmaezer Hariara (Ara) Simanjuntak is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Miami. Trained as an economic anthropologist, Ara takes an interdisciplinary approach to examining how financial systems transform socio-ecological relations in Southeast Asian plantation economies. Prior to joining the University of Miami, Ara worked with foundations, governments, universities, and the private sector on a wide range of issues, including climate policy, urban energy transitions, and alternative financing for sustainable development. He also collaborates closely with oil palm labor unions, peasant and Indigenous organizations, and alternative education initiatives in Indonesia. Ara holds a PhD in Anthropology from Northwestern University, where he was an Arryman Scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, and a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Universitas Gadjah Mada. His research has been supported by the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the American Anthropological Association, and the Timothy Earle Grant, among others. Along with friends and collaborators, he is establishing Sunyata Lab, a new media and research platform. More about his work can be found at: hariara.com.
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