Alesia Ofori

Dr. Alesia Ofori is a Lecturer in Water, Society and Development at the Cranfield Water Science Institute, Cranfield University, within the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Her research bridges political ecology, development studies, and water governance, with a strong regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. She is actively involved in UKRI-funded projects, including the Water Security Hub and the ESRC Scaling Up Off-grid Sanitation initiative.

Her research interests include:

• Water and Sanitation for Development
• Political Ecology and Political Economy of Development
• Water and Sanitation Governance
• Extractive Industries and Artisanal Mining
• Gender, Climate, and Resource Politics

Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on power dynamics, equity, and inclusion in water and sanitation systems, particularly in informal urban settings and mining communities. She critically examines how global development indicators, technologies, and policies interact with local realities, often revealing gaps between formal governance and lived experience. Her work emphasizes participatory, context-sensitive, and decolonial approaches to sustainable resource governance.

Dr. Ofori has contributed to high-impact journals such as Globalizations, International Development Planning Review, Water Alternatives, and The Extractive Industries and Society. She also co-authored a research agenda on extractive industries and the low-carbon transition and contributed to the Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

She supervises doctoral researchers, including Purnanjali Chandra, and has collaborated with organizations such as WaterAid, Global Water Partnership, and the Overseas Development Institute. Her work is supported by major grants from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), reflecting its relevance to global development challenges.

Dr. Ofori is affiliated with research networks and maintains profiles on ORCID, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate. She is also involved in teaching, notably as Module Lead for Water, Society and Development.