Introduction
I am a PhD Candidate from the Oxford Department of International Development, specialised in climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and WASH. At the University of Oxford, I am conducting interdisciplinary research (Geography - Development Studies - Anthropology) on adaptation to sea-level rise in developing countries. In particular, I am researching how local communities and indigenous peoples adapt to environmental change, and how international organisations and government can help to protect their livelihoods. In that context, I'm working with organisations involved in mangrove restoration and coastal defence in Guyana. Currently, I am also working as a consultant for UNEP and OCHA on gender issues in domestic water and sanitation, and have previously worked for the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the UN (humanitarian affairs, international law). In 2018, I have been nominated as a WEF Global Shaper.
Expert
I am a PhD Candidate from the Oxford Department of International Development (University of Oxford), and a development practitioner specialised in DRR, WASH, climate change adaptation and broader environmental/sustainability policy issues. I hold a BA in Anthropology from the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), and a MA in International Affairs from the University of Ottawa; I have also spent 4 months at Sciences Po Paris, where I have specialised in international development practice. In Oxford, I am conducting interdisciplinary research (Geography - Anthropology - Development Studies) on community resilience to climate change in disaster settings. In particular, I am researching water-related natural hazards and risks in small islands developing states (SIDS) and the contribution of indigenous knowledge to DRR strategies, with fieldwork planned in Guyana in 2019.
I have experience in NGO management, programming, public policy and international development practice. I have worked on environmental integration in food and economic security programmes with Louvain Coopération, a Belgian university NGO, and have worked as an Adviser (Humanitarian Affairs, International Law) for the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the UN in New York. I am currently working as a consultant for UNEP/OCHA on gender issues in domestic water and sanitation, and am advising the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (sustainable development consulting), with whom I have consulted the World Green Organization on climate change adaptation in Hong Kong.
Fields of expertise: Environmental policy / climate change, Inclusive social development / inclusive societies / social inclusion, Policy design and delivery, Social protection, Sustainable Development Goals, Water and sanitation