Ian Scoones

Ian Scoones is a **Professorial Fellow** at the **Institute of Development Studies (IDS)**, University of Sussex. He specializes in environmental governance, agrarian change, and pastoralism, focusing on uncertainty and resilience. Co-director of the ESRC STEPS Centre and principal investigator of the ERC-funded PASTRES project, his work bridges science, policy, and development challenges.

**Education**: PhD in Agricultural Ecology from Imperial College London, with early research in Zimbabwean land reform and pastoral systems. Academic roles include co-directing the STEPS Centre (2006–2022) and coordinating the Future Agricultures Consortium (2004–2014).

**Research Interests**: Agrarian politics, environmental policy, land reform dynamics in Africa, and climate change adaptation. Notable projects include studies on Zimbabwe's land redistribution, pastoral livelihoods under uncertainty, and global land deals' impacts.

**Key Projects**: PASTRES (pastoralism and resilience), Zimbabwe Land Reform studies, and RELIABLE (climate extremes preparedness). His 2024 book *Navigating Uncertainty* rethinks global development amid unpredictability.

**Advising**: Supervised over 30 PhD students focusing on rural development, land politics, and pastoralism. Current and past students include Frank Matose, Linda Pappagallo, and Tahira Shariff Mohamed.

**Labs/Teams**: Leads the PASTRES team and contributes to the STEPS Centre’s interdisciplinary research on sustainability pathways.