Arizona State University's Sustainable Purchasing Research Initiative (SPRI) celebrates three student research assistants who successfully defended their dissertations and scientific papers in April and will graduate in May.

Fatima Hafsa graduates with a Ph.D. degree in Sustainability from the School of Sustainability within the College of Global Futures. When asked about her research and time working with SPRI, she commented, "In my dissertation, "implementing a sustainable circular economy for plastics," I find that sustainable public purchasing is critical to advancing a circular economy. I hope to advance this idea further and find how public managers and policymakers can influence the implementation of the circular economy in different ways. I aim to pursue more use-inspired and interdisciplinary research on a sustainable circular economy. I am grateful to Dr. Nicole Darnall and Dr. Stuart Bretschneider, and the entire SPRI team for their mentorship throughout my Ph.D. training."

Yifan Chen graduates with a Ph.D. degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University's School of Public Affairs. When asked about her research with SPRI and her time at Arizona State University, Yifan said, "During my Ph.D. training, I've participated in multiple grant-funded research projects operated by Sustainable Procurement Research Initiative (SPRI). I sincerely thank Dr. Stuart Bretschneider, Dr. Nicole Darnall, and Dr. Justin M. Stritch for their unwavering guidance and support. Through these experiences, I have developed expertise in research design and accumulated a pipeline of working papers, setting a strong foundation to advance my research agenda in the next three to five years. In future studies, I plan to expand my research agenda on how local governments develop and manage sustainability policies as well as how these actions are shaped by their organizational, social and institutional environment."

Angela Fox graduates with a Master of Arts degree in Sustainability from the School of Sustainability within the College of Global Futures. When asked about her research and time working with SPRI, she commented, "Working with SPRI was a wonderful experience. I learned a great deal about the successes and limitations local governments face when adopting and implementing sustainable purchasing policies. My research focuses on the perceived success of local government sustainability policies and the pro-environmental behaviors of their department directors. Conducting data analysis using SPRI's data was such a rewarding experience, and I am much more appreciative of the hard work that goes into research. I am so thankful to my committee Dr. Nicole Darnall, Dr. Stuart Bretschneider, and Dr. Shirley-Ann Behravesh, for their support. Also, a huge appreciation for the entire SPRI team of researchers and students."

On behalf of the entire SPRI team, we warmly congratulate all three students on their hard work and determination in reaching this tremendous milestone. We wish them tremendous success in their future careers.