Sonya Sharififard, PhD

Dr. Sonya Sharififard is a faculty member at Pepperdine University. As an inaugural DifferenceCorps member, she worked with local nonprofits, universities, and organizations to develop a food waste biodigester and a toolkit designed to help dining facilities distribute resources and support communities experiencing food insecurity.

In 2024, Dr. Sharififard published her first book with Palgrave Macmillan: Community, Food Insecurity, and a Global Perspective on Campus Food Pantries.

Dr. Sharififard serves on the Board of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society and has presented at major international conferences. She also serves on the review panels for global institutions in North America, Europe, and Asia, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Academy of Management (AOM), and the International Leadership Association (ILA). The US Office of the Surgeon General invited her to serve as a Reviewer for the prestigious journal, Public Health Reports.

Dr. Sharififard holds a PhD in Global Leadership from Pepperdine University and is fluent in Farsi.