Fulbright Program (2024) Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for his project "Transforming Slash-and-Burn Practices to Sustainable Farming in Central and East Java."
Yuri Surtadi Mansury (born 1965) is an academic and regional scientist. He is a professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) in Chicago, United States.[1][2] His research focuses on regional science, urban planning, economic inequality, and computational modeling of social systems.[3][4][5][6] In 2024, Mansury received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for a research project on sustainable farming practices in Java, Indonesia.[7]
Mansury was born and raised in Indonesia.[1] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Indonesia. He later pursued graduate studies in the United States, obtaining both a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Regional Science from Cornell University.[7]
In 2021, Mansury became a board member of the Western Regional Science Association (WRSA).[7]
His research focuses on urban and regional development, technology and society, and planning analysis methods. His work has examined topics including gender income inequality, urban innovation systems, disaster impact assessment, spatial networks, and uneven regional growth.[8][9][4][2]
He has also served as co-editor of The Indonesian Economy and the Surrounding Regions in the 21st Century: Essays in Honor of Iwan Jaya Azis (Springer, 2024; ISBN 978-9819701216), together with Budy Prasetyo Resosudarmo of the Australian National University. The volume discusses regional and development economics in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, with chapters addressing urbanization, manufacturing, small enterprises, and modeling approaches such as social accounting matrices (SAM), computable general equilibrium (CGE), and agent-based modeling.[10]
Fulbright Award
In 2024, Mansury received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for a research project titled “Transforming Slash-and-Burn Practices to Sustainable Farming in Java.” The project examined the persistence of slash-and-burn agriculture among rural communities in Java, Indonesia, and explored approaches to promote more sustainable farming practices.[7]
During a six-month research period based in Jakarta (at Universitas Pertamina) and several forest-edge villages, Mansury conducted surveys and interviews across ten rural communities. The study found that many farmers live below the poverty line, earning about one U.S. dollar per day, and encounter economic, infrastructural, and cultural barriers to adopting sustainable agricultural methods.[7]
The research suggested that slash-and-burn farming remains widespread because it is low-cost, requires minimal technical skills, and provides immediate returns, while sustainable alternatives often demand capital investment and better market access. The study also noted limited participation of women in the interviews, with approximately 80 percent of respondents being men.[1]
According to Mansury, the Fulbright project provided an opportunity to engage directly with local communities and examine the systemic factors influencing poverty and land-use practices in Indonesia.[1]
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