Dr. Francis Koti is a Professor in the Department of Global Studies and Human Geography at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Prior to MTSU, he was a faculty member at the University of North Alabama (UNA) for 15 years (2004-2019), seven years as department chair, and one year as interim associate dean. While at UNA, Dr. Koti designed and led multiple education abroad opportunities in Tanzania, founded the Diaspora Community of African Geospatial Scientists, co-founded and served as Executive Secretary of the Kenya Scholars and Studies Association, served as President of the UNA Chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, served as the Secretary of the Southeast Division of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), and served as a Commissioner on the Planning Commission in the City  of Florence, Alabama.

An urban geographer, Dr. Koti’s research revolves around the use of geographic information systems (GIS) within participatory methodological frameworks to understand urbanization processes. His regional focus is Africa. His work has been published in the field, particularly related to participatory GIS, African peri-urban development, urban and regional planning, local community resource use and access, and social and spatial exclusion in African cities.

Dr. Koti teaches a wide range of graduate and undergraduate courses that transcend the physical-human geography divide including but not limited to introductory geography courses, cultural geography, global issues, global challenges, urban geography, urban and regional planning, Geographic information systems, GIS and Society, Geography of Africa, and introductory physical geography courses.    

Dr. Koti grew up in Kenya where he received his undergraduate education. After teaching high school in the City of Nairobi in Kenya for five years, he joined West Virginia University, WV, USA, where he obtained both MA and PhD degrees in Geography. In addition to English (!), francis is fluent in Kiswahili and Kamba and also understands two other Kenyan tribal languages. Francis is married to Margaret and they have two children, Milton and Arianna. In his spare time, Francis enjoys golf, music, traveling with family, and college sports.    

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Koti, F.T. 2021. Foreign-born faculty and academic leadership in America: The myths, realities, and opportunities. Kenya Studies Review Journal 9 (1): 59-66. or

URL: https://kessa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Francis-Koti-1.pdf

Wanyama, Dan, Mighty, Mario, Sim, Sunhui and Francis Koti. 2019. “A spatial assessment of land suitability for maize farming in Kenya.” Geocarto International. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2019.1648564

Koti, F.T. 2017. East Africa. In: Taylor, K and V. Williams. Etiquette and Taboos Around the World: A Geographical Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Customs. Santa Barbara (CA): Greenwood Press.

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Koti, F.T.2021. Resilience amid uncertainty: COVID-19 pandemic, the informal sector, and livelihoods in African cities. Paper presented at the Cities' COVID Mitigation Mapping (C2M2) Virtual Symposium, Harvard University, June 23, 2021. YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZDVAQXp_Vw

Koti, F.T.  2021. Post Covid-19 African Cities: Towards a new Face of the Informal Sector. Paper presented at the virtual annual conference of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), April 7-10, 2021.  

Gibbes, C., F.T. Koti, and K. Foote. 2021. So you wanna be chair? Debunking Leadership Myths and Identifying Opportunities. Department leadership symposium organized at the virtual annual conference of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), April 7-10, 2021.

Koti, F.T. 2020. Understanding Peri-Urban Water Resources in Kenya Using Participatory GIS. Paper presented at a webinar titled, “Mapping Water Availability and its Impacts on Humans.” Organized by World Wide Human Geography Data Working Group. February 26, 2020.

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=70&v=CbPqGOzLds0&feature=emb_logo 

Koti, F.T. 2019. Panel Organizer and Moderator. Conducting Study Abroad Programs: Opportunities for Foreign-Born Faculty. Panel session organized at the annual conference of the Kenya Scholars and Studies Association (KESSA), Atlanta, GA, September 13-14, 2019.

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Courses taught at Middle Tennessee State University:

GEOG 2000 - Intro to Regional Geography (Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer)

GEOG 3470 - Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa - Summer; Spring Even-numbered Years

GEOG 4360 - Cultural Geography - Fall;Summer

GEOG 4550 - Global Issues - Spring Even-numbered years

GS 3200 - Specical Topics - Global Challenges and Opportunities (Pandemics and Disasters) - Spring Even-numbered Years

MALA 6010 - Foundations of Liberal Arts - Fall

Courses taught at the University of North Alabama

Undergraduate Graduate

World Regional Geography

Intro to Physical Geography

Geographic Information Systems

Urban Geography

Geography of Africa

Urban and Regional Planning

Graduate:

Planning Theory and Process

Societal Implications of GIS Practice

Geographic Thought

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