Adrian Parr Zaretsky, PhD, is an internationally recognized environmental, political, and cultural thinker and advocate, author, and filmmaker. She is the dean of the College of Design at the University of Oregon abd Senior Fellow at the Design Futures Council. Prior to joining the UO, she served as the dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington, and as the director of the Taft Research Center at the University of Cincinnati.

Adrian is a transdisciplinary scholar working at the intersection of architecture criticism, aesthetics, political theory, and environmental studies. She’s authored nine books, the latest three of which focused on environmental politics and sustainability culture, and she has served as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) water chair for eight years.

The driving force behind her work is the question of how to overcome ecological and economic scarcity. She asserts that environmental devastation and climate change are crimes against humanity. Her 2016 documentary, “The Intimate Realities of Water,” won more than a dozen awards, including Best Documentary at the 2016 United International Independent Film Festival.