Introduction
Dr Rehema White is a sustainability academic at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, Chair of Scotland's UNU Regional Centre of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development (Learning for Sustainability Scotland) and a member of Scotland's SDG Network Steering Group. She works in knowledge and sustainable development (including learning for sustainability, research modes); governance of natural resources (including multi-level collaboration, global North-South links, roles of community); and sustainability in practice in contested areas, including biosecurity and biodiversity conflicts. She is exploring integrative analysis and novel links across these different fields, drawing on her experiences across the natural and social sciences. Much of her recent work involves gathering together academics, practitioners and policy makers in innovative ways to co-design collaborative solutions to specific sustainability challenges.
Expert
I am a sustainability generalist with interests and experience in the production, mobilisation and implementation of knowledge for sustainable development. I hold a PhD (1994), MSc (1990) and BSc Agric (1986).
My research, teaching and practical experience over the past 25 years have enabled me to cultivate means of facilitating new knowledge, employing interdisciplinary, holistic, co-productive methodologies that recognise the complexity of systems and the difficulties in linking theory and practice. I have proven ability to bring people together in both scholarly and non-academic arenas, as shown, for example by the co-design of a strategy for local authorities to engage communities in carbon emission reduction. I have established a capacity to work across different sectors and areas, both using a sustainability lens to highlight new aspects of topics, and using diverse topic emphases to bring new insights to the theory and practice of sustainable development itself. Experience of learning for sustainability has enabled me, for example, to develop and evaluate multi-stakeholder, action learning training programmes in Africa; to support outdoor learning for early years children in Scotland; and to explore whole university approaches to sustainability. I recognise the role of community and participatory governance in not only natural resource management, including biodiversity conflicts, but also mitigation and adaptation of climate change, the search for more sustainable food systems, craft and sport. I have published and/or held grants in all of these areas. My strength is in synthesis and integrative analysis across these different fields, drawing on my epistemological journey across the natural and social sciences and my international experience, particularly across Europe, Africa and Latin America. My intention is to further develop the field of enquiry of sustainable development in a way that supports a healthy planet and society through my activities at international, national, regional and community levels.
Fields of expertise: Agriculture and rural development, Education, Environmental policy / climate change, Health and wellbeing, Participation, Sustainable Development Goals