Current Position
Alumni

Research Interests
resilience, ecosystem services, ecosystem-based adaptation, peri-urban dynamics

Duration of your PhD
2009/2012

Thesis's Supervisor
Prof Neil Adger

Funder
ESRC

My Thesis' Abstract
'Building resilience in rapidly urbanising areas: the role of ecosystem services'
My research focuses on the use of natural resources in rapidly urbanising areas. Urbanisation is changing the face of the planet, especially in developing nations, as people flock to cities often to end up in slums or informal settlements. Natural ecosystems have the potential to provide a wide range of benefits that underpin human well-being; these are called ‘ecosystem services’ and range from food production to regulation of infectious disease. My research will assess how urbanisation is affecting the availability and distribution of ecosystem services, how people’s preferences for ecosystem services change as they move to cities, and what tradeoffs develop. Framing this is the question of what role ecosystem services play in the resilience of these communities to change.