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Stephen Espiner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Tourism, Sport & Society at Lincoln University, New Zealand, where he currently serves as Head of Department. He leads the Sustainable Tourism Centre of Excellence and has previously chaired postgraduate studies in the Faculty of Environment, Society and Design. His work bridges academic research with practical applications in tourism, conservation, and community management. His educational background includes a PhD and Master of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management from Lincoln University, and a BA from the University of Canterbury. This foundation supports his integrative approach to studying human-environment relationships. Dr. Espiner's research focuses on the human dimensions of natural resource management, particularly examining how tourism-dependent communities near protected areas adapt to global changes including climate impacts and pandemics. His work spans both domestic contexts (Westland/Tai Poutini National Park, Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park) and international settings (Annapurna Conservation Area, Sagarmatha National Park). He investigates visitor behavior, risk communication, climate adaptation, and the sustainability-resilience nexus in tourism contexts. His recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on pandemic-related tourism shifts, Chinese tourist safety in natural hazard environments, and adaptation frameworks for glacier tourism regions. The research demonstrates increasing attention to cross-cultural communication, indigenous perspectives, and practical interventions for improving visitor safety and resilience. Dr. Espiner actively supervises numerous PhD and Master's students, with current topics including electronic technologies in outdoor recreation experiences, Chinese tourists' risk perceptions, domestic tourist resilience to natural hazards, and planning for visitor access in glacier regions. His supervision portfolio reflects the breadth of his interests across tourism, recreation, and environmental management. He maintains strong connections with national-level organizations in tourism, recreation, and conservation sectors, ensuring his research has practical industry relevance. His work frequently appears in high-impact journals including the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Geographies, and Frontiers in Human Dynamics, demonstrating his significant contribution to the field.

• Human Geography
• Natural Resource Management
• Tourism Studies
• +4 more

Rikke Munck Petersen is an Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture and Sensory Conception at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management. She leads research in sensory landscape methodologies and co-organizes the Copenhagen Landscape Lectures series as part of the 'Landscape Architecture and Urbanism' and 'Spatial Change and Planning' research groups. Her educational background includes a PhD (2010) and Cand. Arch. (2000) from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, supplemented by studies at the University of Pennsylvania (1999) and Royal Agricultural University of Denmark (1998). PhD, Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture (2010) Cand. Arch., Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture (2000) Non-degree studies, University of Pennsylvania (1999) Plant use course, Royal Agricultural University of Denmark (1998) Her research pioneers sensory analysis and filmic mediations in landscape transformation, focusing on the body's sensorium, affective experience, and performativity in climate-resilient design. Current projects include multi-sensory river valley analysis (Archive for Becomings, 2025-27) and EU Water4All's INTERLAYER project (2024-27) developing 'slow hydrology' approaches for flood/drought resilience. Her methodology integrates drone footage, film editing, and participatory processes to stimulate sensory awareness in landscape planning. Recent publications reveal strong interdisciplinary convergence between landscape architecture, film studies, and environmental science, with emphasis on affective engagement in climate adaptation. Key trends include drone-mediated sensory co-creation (2020-2024), feminist landscape historiography (2024), and emergent design methodologies for regenerative landscapes (2025). Scientific recognition includes: ICAR-CORA Prize 2011 for PhD thesis 'Landscape transformations' Vola Prize 2000 for master project Frits Schlegel Honors 2003 for early-career architecture She supervises doctoral research including Hongxia Pu's 'Filmic Scroll' (2024) on Chinese desakota landscapes and Kristen Danielle van Haeren's 'Thickness of the Green' (2020) on Danish welfare landscapes. Major grants include Danish Arts Foundation funding (75,000 DKK for Archive for Becomings), EU Water4All (3 million DKK), and Danish Research Council support (6 million DKK for Drone Imaginaries project). As director of Surroundinglab.org and editorial board member for Emotion, Space and Society, she bridges academic research with professional practice. Her studio mupLA (founded 2003) has delivered award-winning landscape projects including Roskilde Festival area planning and Bornholm harbor designs, maintaining active engagement with municipalities and architecture offices.

• Landscape Architecture
• Sensory Studies
• Film and Media Mediations
• +4 more

Karin Dean is a Senior Research Fellow at Tallinn University's School of Humanities, specializing in political geography with a focus on Southeast Asian borderlands, particularly Myanmar. She holds a PhD from the National University of Singapore (2003) and has been affiliated with Tallinn University since 2007, serving as Associate Professor (2016-2020) and Asian Studies MA Programme Director (2007-2022). Her international academic engagements include visiting positions at Kyoto University (2024), Chiang Mai University (2022), and Mandalay University (2019). Dean's research centers on political geography, border studies, and Southeast Asian politics, with particular expertise on Myanmar's ethnic conflicts and Chinese infrastructure projects in border regions. Her work examines state-building processes, ethnic minorities, and geopolitical dynamics through extensive field research conducted across Myanmar, Thailand, and Northeast India since 2010. She applies theoretical frameworks including assemblage theory to analyze how border spaces are transformed by transnational developments. Recent publications (2021-2025) focus on Chinese investments in Myanmar's borderlands, particularly examining the Belt and Road Initiative's local impacts. Her scholarship appears in leading geography and area studies journals including Eurasian Geography and Economics, Advances in Southeast Asian Studies, and Territory, Politics, Governance, demonstrating both regional expertise and theoretical sophistication in borderland studies. Awards and Recognition: 2009: First prize, national contest for supervising BA thesis 'Identifying Peripheral Peoples in Southwest China' 1999: Ph.D. scholarship, National University of Singapore 1995: Stipend from Estonians-in-exile group in Seattle Dean actively contributes to the academic community through editorial board memberships (Journal of Borderlands Studies, European Journal of East Asian Studies), international conference organization, and peer review for top geography and Asian studies journals. She has supervised postdoctoral researchers including John Buchanan and Alessandro Rippa, whose work focused on Southeast Asian politics and China-Myanmar borderlands. Her research combines extensive fieldwork with theoretical innovation, examining how border communities navigate geopolitical transformations in one of Asia's most complex border regions. Dean maintains strong institutional connections across Asia and Europe through Erasmus+ exchanges and collaborative research networks.

• Political geography
• Border studies
• Southeast Asian studies
• +8 more