Dr. Isabelle Nilsson Tapped as Albert A. Levin Chair
Dr. Isabelle Nilsson has been selected as The Albert A. Levin Chair in Urban Studies and Public Service for Cleveland State University’s (CSU) Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs. A nationally renowned scholar and researcher, Nilsson will join CSU in this tenured faculty position on August 17, 2026.
The Albert A. Levin Chair is an endowed professorship in urban studies and public service. In addition to contributing to the Levin School through teaching, research, and service, Nilsson will engage with the Cleveland and greater Northeast Ohio community through thought leadership, community engagement, and public-impact initiatives.
"Cleveland is a compelling place to study how public and private investments affect housing markets, neighborhood change, and who gets access to opportunity,” said Nilsson. “The Levin School of Urban Affairs' long tradition of community-engaged scholarship and the Levin Chair's commitment to connecting that scholarship with public service are what I believe good urban research should do. I am thrilled to bring my work here."
Nilsson comes to CSU from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she has served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Geographical Sciences since 2021, following her appointment as Assistant Professor from 2015 to 2021.
Nilsson, who has authored or co-authored 36 peer-reviewed journal articles and five peer-reviewed book chapters, is a highly sought after speaker having presented at more than 30 conferences and delivered invited talks across the United States and internationally. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, and she currently serves as Co-Editor in Chief of the highly ranked Journal of Transport Geography.
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Isabelle Nilsson, to the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs. Her scholarship at the intersection of transportation, housing, neighborhood change, and spatial analysis brings exactly the kind of rigorous, community-focused perspective that energizes urban affairs,” said Dr. Elaine Yi Lu, Director of the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs. “In my mind, Dr. Nilsson is exceptionally well positioned to spark the kind of thoughtful, real-world conversation that defines the Levin School at its best. I am very excited about her joining us.”
Nilsson earned her Ph.D. in Spatially Integrated Social Science (Geography and Economics) from the University of Toledo. She has master’s degrees in Economics from both the University of Toledo and Luleå University of Technology in Sweden.
About the Chair
Established in 1969 by Maxine Goodman Levin in honor of her late husband, the Albert A. Levin Chair of Urban Studies and Public Service was the nation’s first endowed chair created to intentionally link classroom teaching with public service. The Levin School traces its roots to the founding of the College of Urban Affairs in 1977 and became the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs in 1989. In 2022, the Levin School was brought together with the School of Communication, the School of Education and Counseling, and the programs of Criminology and Sociology to form the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education. Beginning in fall 2026, the college will commemorate 50 years of urban studies at CSU while celebrating the future of its interdisciplinary academic structure.
The Levin School of Urban Affairs is consistently ranked among the nation’s top urban affairs schools, including number three in urban policy and number 10 in local government. The school serves as an interdisciplinary hub for scholarship and community engaged research focused on urban innovation and transformation.