Riam Knapp

Riam Knapp is a post-doctoral researcher at the Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit (MIASU) at the University of Cambridge. She is currently working on the “Himalayan Connections: Melting glaciers, sacred landscapes and mobile technologies in a changing climate” project, a collaborative effort with the University of Oslo funded by the Norwegian Research Council under its NORGLOBAL programme.

Her research focuses on the relationship between Buddhist beliefs and practices and environmental conservation, with particular attention to non-Western perspectives on human engagement with nature. Her work addresses theorizations in cultural landscapes, political ecology, and Buddhist modernities. She conducts fieldwork in Bhutan, Nepal, and Thailand, employing interdisciplinary methods from the humanities, social sciences, and environmental sciences with a decolonial approach.

At Cambridge, she has taught the undergraduate geographical tripos, the international development diploma for continuing education, and lectured on political and socioeconomic dimensions of environment (political ecology). Her professional background also includes experience in NGO sectors (development and conservation) and business sectors, providing her with diverse perspectives on environmental issues and sustainable development.