Find Academic Supervisors

Christoph OberlackView profile

Professor

• Sustainability Governance
• Climate Change Adaptation
• Environmental Policy
• +5 more

Prof. Dr. Christoph Oberlack is an affiliated Professor of Sustainability Governance at the University of Bern's Institute of Geography and the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE). His work focuses on institutional barriers to climate adaptation, land-use governance, and sustainable development. He holds a PhD in Institutional Economics of Climate Adaptation from the University of Freiburg (2015). Research Interests: - Sustainability governance frameworks - Deforestation-free supply chains - Climate adaptation policies - Telecoupling in socio-ecological systems - Environmental justice in global value chains - Archetype analysis methodologies Recent work explores implementation challenges of EU deforestation regulations in Peru's cocoa/coffee sectors and gender equity in cacao cooperatives. He frequently collaborates with international organizations and policymakers to translate research findings into actionable strategies. Key contributions include developing diagnostic frameworks for institutional analysis in climate adaptation contexts. Publications span 20+ peer-reviewed journals including Nature Climate Change and Global Environmental Change. He actively participates in international conferences such as POLLEN and Swiss Geoscience Meetings. Current research emphasizes participatory approaches to landscape governance and private sector roles in sustainability transitions.

• Environmental Economics
• Fisheries Management
• Climate Change
• +4 more

Andries Richter is an Associate Professor in Environmental Economics and Natural Resources at Wageningen University. His research focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to environmental and resource management, particularly in fisheries, climate change, and ecosystem services. He actively supervises PhD candidates and leads projects addressing marine conservation, sustainable agriculture, and policy design in regions like Indonesia and China. Education: Not explicitly mentioned in the provided texts. Key Research Areas: Fisheries management, climate change impacts, ecosystem service valuation, and behavioral economics applications in resource governance. Richter’s work emphasizes practical solutions for sustainable resource use, combining theoretical models with empirical field experiments. His recent studies explore stakeholder perspectives in agricultural landscapes (North China Plain), behavioral dynamics in threshold games (Cambodia), and the economic-trade-offs of mesopelagic fishing. He has contributed to media discussions on illegal fishing practices and marine conservation strategies. Current projects include financing tourism for marine protected areas and institutional frameworks for nutrient emissions control in the Netherlands. Grants/Projects: Innovative spatial planning mechanisms for nutrient emissions control Understanding Raja Ampat Marine Protected Area via system dynamics Marine conservation and food security in West Papua, Indonesia Richter collaborates internationally, with notable contributions to the valuation of ecosystem services and adaptive management strategies under climate change.

• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Geographic Information Systems
• +7 more

Veronica Frans is a Stanford Science Fellow at Stanford University and a sixth-year PhD Candidate in Fisheries & Wildlife and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology & Behavior at Michigan State University (MSU). She is affiliated with MSU’s Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS), the Klausmeier-Litchman lab at Kellogg Biological Station, and holds certifications in Community Engaged Scholarship and Spatial Ecology. Her research focuses on human influence on species distributions, integrating ecological modeling, GIS, and community outreach. BS/BA in Environmental Sciences and French from Messiah College MSc in International Nature Conservation from Goettingen University Her research spans ecology, conservation biology, and sustainability, emphasizing human-nature interactions through metacoupling, telecoupling, and stakeholder collaboration. She has conducted fieldwork in Alaska, Hong Kong, and the Falkland Islands, leveraging local knowledge to address global conservation challenges. Recent publications highlight her expertise in species distribution modeling, sustainability tool development (e.g., seesus, SDGdetector), and conservation policy analysis. Articles frequently explore metacoupling, anthropogenic impacts, and marine ecosystem dynamics, with applications in deforestation, biodiversity, and SDG implementation. NSF GRFP Fellow University Enrichment Fellow Outstanding Paper in Landscape Ecology Award Veronica collaborates with the Klausmeier-Litchman lab at MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station and works under Dr. Jianguo (Jack) Liu at CSIS. Her work bridges marine environments, stakeholder engagement, and global sustainability through interdisciplinary research and community-based conservation.

Barney WarfView profile

Professor

• Economic Geography
• Social Theory
• Globalization Studies
• +7 more

Barney Warf is a Professor of Geography & Atmospheric Sciences at The University of Kansas. His research spans globalization dynamics, social theory intersections, and economic geography with a focus on telecommunications, political geographies, and digital governance. He explores topics like cyber geography (digital divides, internet censorship), spatial aspects of voting systems, and global corruption patterns. His work bridges Marxist political economy and phenomenological theories, emphasizing theoretical pluralism. Research: Cyber governance, urban agglomeration theories, religious diversity geographies Teaching: Globalization, economic geography, social theory Key regions studied: Global comparative analysis with deep engagement in Latin America and Asia Warf's empirical studies include analyses of global city networks (New York's role), telecommunication infrastructure competition (satellite vs fiber optics), and the geographies of cannabis. He critiques neoliberal governance through pandemic responses and critiques technological biases in satellite imagery. Publications span over 20 years including influential books like Global Geographies of the Internet (2012) and Time-Space Compression (2008). His work regularly appears in Annals of the AAG , Urban Geography , and Geographical Review .

Gabi SondereggerView profile

Researcher

• Sustainability Governance
• Supply Chain Governance
• Telecoupled Land Systems
• +4 more

Gabi Sonderegger is a Senior Research Scientist at the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) , affiliated with the University of Bern . Her work focuses on sustainability governance, supply chain governance, telecoupled land systems, voluntary sustainability standards, and science-policy-society interfaces. She contributes to projects such as COUPLED (telecouplings for sustainability), Enabling Private Sector Strategies for Sustainable Development , and BIO-TRADE (biodiversity and trade regulation). Research interests include: Telecoupling frameworks to analyze global land-use spillovers Private sector engagement in sustainable landscape initiatives Policy design for biodiversity conservation through trade measures Data visualization tools for environmental governance Environmental justice in transnational resource flows Publications highlight her expertise in global commodity governance, voluntary standards, and cross-sectoral sustainability strategies. Key themes include biodiversity risks in trade agreements, spatial fit in governance systems, and private sector-led landscape initiatives. Network affiliations include the Global Land Programme , International Association for Impact Assessment , and the International Graduate School North-South . She has field experience in Guatemala, Bolivia, Nicaragua, The Netherlands, Georgia, Ghana, and Indonesia.

Janine HauerView profile

Researcher

• Human-Environment Relations
• Chemistry and Society
• Contaminated Sites/Eternal Burdens
• +5 more

Dr. Janine Hauer is a Researcher at the Institute for Social and Cultural Anthropology within the Philosophical Faculty I at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. She holds degrees in European Ethnology (BA & MA) and Sociology (BA) from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and earned her PhD in 2024 with a dissertation titled Transforming the Ricescape: A Case Study from Burkina Faso . Her work focuses on human-environment relations, contaminated sites, and the temporal dimensions of socio-ecological change. Education: Bachelor's in European Ethnology and Sociology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Master's in European Ethnology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin PhD in Geography (2024), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Research Interests: Her current project Everyday life between chemistry and landfill: re/making and dealing with the legacies of industrial modernity examines societal engagement with industrial waste and temporal legacies in Central Germany's Chemical Triangle. Previous research centered on urbanization, land-use change, and futures in Burkina Faso, supported by extensive fieldwork from 2014–2018. Methodologically, she emphasizes ethnographic collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches. Publications span human-environment relations, temporal studies, and African development, appearing in journals like Journal of Rural Studies , Geographica Helvetica , and Anthropological Theory .

Cynthia S. SimmonsView profile

Professor

• Political Economy
• Environmental Geography
• Development Studies
• +6 more

Cynthia S. Simmons is a Professor of Geography at the University of Florida, affiliated with the Center for Latin American Studies and the Master of Sustainable Development Practice program. Her research focuses on political economy, examining interactions between social and environmental processes across multiple scales, particularly in Amazonia. She employs mixed-methods approaches combining field investigations, household surveys, and qualitative analysis. Education: PhD in Geography (Florida State University, 1999), M.S. Urban & Regional Planning (1995), M.A. International Affairs (1993), B.A. Communications (1990). Key research areas include land change dynamics, socio-environmental resilience, globalization impacts, and indigenous territorial rights. Recent projects include NSF-funded studies on indigenous territories' resilience ( Her work frequently examines contentious land-use conflicts, telecoupling effects in global supply chains, and conservation strategies in contested regions. She advises multiple PhD/Master’s students and collaborates internationally with institutions like Brazil’s Federal Universities of Pará and Bahia. Notable platforms include policy briefs for the Amazon Science Panel and interdisciplinary publications in Land , Global Environmental Change , and Annals of the Association of American Geographers . Labs/Teams: Core member of UF's Latin American Studies research cluster and collaborates with global networks studying Amazon socio-environmental systems. Current projects address deforestation governance, indigenous land rights, and sustainable development frameworks.

Robert WalkerView profile

Professor

• Land Change
• Tropical Deforestation
• Land Reform and Conflict
• +3 more

Robert Walker is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida, Gainesville. His interdisciplinary work bridges quantitative geography and environmental science, focusing on land change dynamics in tropical development frontiers across Brazil, Mexico, and Ecuador. Walker earned his PhD in Regional Science from the University of Pennsylvania, collaborating with New Economic Geography pioneer Masahisa Fujita, and an MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida working with systems ecologist Howard Odum. This dual training in social and physical sciences underpins his research approach. His research centers on nature-society interactions, particularly land reform conflicts, deforestation processes, and climate tipping points in Amazonia. Walker pioneered integrating remote sensing with household surveys to explain resource degradation, advancing forest transition theory and location rent applications. He uniquely blends empirical research with creative non-fiction, publishing groundbreaking works in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers and GeoHumanities to communicate environmental crises. Analysis of his 2020-2025 publications reveals intensifying focus on biocultural conservation, land grabbing dynamics, and climate tipping points. His work increasingly examines indigenous stewardship and creative communication strategies, reflecting an interdisciplinary synthesis of physical and social sciences to address urgent environmental challenges. Walker leads the Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) program at UF, organizing flagship events including Tropilunch seminars and the Taste of the Tropics. His grant-funded fieldwork since the 1990s has produced longitudinal datasets across Amazonian frontiers, mentoring graduate students through doctoral research projects on mechanized agriculture impacts and land cover change in the Central Amazon Basin.

• Entrepreneurship
• Circular Economy
• Social Impact
• +6 more

Dr. Anya Phelan is a Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Discipline Lead for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Griffith Business School, Griffith University. Her affiliations include the Centre for Work, Organisation and Wellbeing and Griffith Asia Institute. She holds a PhD in Ecological Economics from Queensland University of Technology, along with degrees in Engineering. Her research focuses on entrepreneurial ecosystems, social entrepreneurship, circular economy transitions, and inclusive economic development in remote communities. Key areas include waste management solutions for First Nations communities, plastic recycling innovations, and cross-sector partnerships in Indonesia and Australia. Dr. Phelan’s work emphasizes applied, collaborative approaches with industry, government, and communities. Notable projects include evaluations of Queensland’s circular economy policies for Indigenous councils, pilot programs for plastic resource recovery in Mornington Island, and international symposiums fostering Indonesia-Australia collaboration. She has secured over $13 million in research funding, including grants from DFAT and ARC. Her teaching interests span social entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable development. Professional activities include peer reviewing, keynote addresses, and advisory roles with organizations like the CSIRO and UNESCO. Her scientific contributions include over 28 research outputs, with highlights on plastic pollution, marine conservation, and community-driven solutions. Awards include Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Current doctoral supervision focuses on migration patterns, post-pandemic work-life balance, and cross-cultural entrepreneurship in mental health.

Jean-David GerberView profile

Associate Professor

• Land Use Planning
• Housing Policy
• Sustainability and Resource Management
• +3 more

Prof. Jean-David Gerber is an Associate Professor for Political Urbanism and Sustainable Spatial Development at the Institute of Geography, University of Bern. He also serves as Executive Director of GIUB (Global Institute for Urban Systems) and Unit Leader of the Political Urbanism and Sustainable Spatial Development research group. Gerber holds a PhD in Public Administration from the University of Lausanne (2005) and an MSc in Environmental Sciences from ETH Zurich (2001). His career includes roles as Assistant Professor at the University of Bern (2012–2017) and Lecturer at the University of Lausanne (2009–2012), alongside postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley (2007–2009). His research focuses on land use planning as public policy, housing policy, and sustainability challenges, with a particular emphasis on property rights, legal pluralism, and commons-based governance. He explores tensions between housing as a commodity versus a human right, strategies for affordable housing, and the role of public landownership in urban development. Recent work examines the telecoupling of global land systems and local resistance to large-scale land acquisitions. Gerber’s publications address topics like urban commons, post-growth urbanism, and the interplay between property rights and spatial planning. He leads projects such as COMMONPATHS, investigating commons-based alternatives to conventional urban development models. His interdisciplinary approach bridges geography, political science, and legal studies, emphasizing relational understandings of property rights as triadic social relations involving users, states, and third parties. Key areas of interest include: Land policy and governance frameworks Housing equity and cooperative models Sustainability transitions in urban-rural landscapes Legal pluralism and resource conflicts Gerber’s work contributes to debates on equitable urbanization, resource management, and alternative socio-economic models in a post-growth context.

James MillingtonView profile

Academic

• Landscape Ecology
• Wildfire-Environment-Society Interactions
• Agent-Based Modelling
• +4 more

Dr. James Millington is a Reader in Landscape Ecology at King's College London's Department of Geography, part of the School of Global Affairs. He specializes in computational modeling of ecological and socio-economic processes, focusing on wildfire interactions, land-use change, and agent-based modeling. His research bridges theoretical and applied environmental science, addressing global sustainability challenges. James holds a PhD, MSc, and BSc from King's College London and has held roles including a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship and Visiting Researcher at Michigan State University. His work integrates spatial modeling, socio-ecological systems analysis, and policy evaluation. He leads the Spatial Data Science Pathway in teaching and contributes to interdisciplinary research groups like the Leverhulme Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society. Notable awards include the Leverhulme Fellowship and Royal Geographical Society Fellowship. Key research themes include global fire regimes, telecoupled systems, and forest conservation policies. His recent publications explore Atlantic Forest conservation, global fire modeling frameworks, and soybean trade impacts on deforestation. James advises PhD candidates on interdisciplinary topics at the nexus of ecology, modeling, and policy.

• Wildlife Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Landscape Ecology
• +5 more

Vanessa Hull is an Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, affiliated with the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability. She holds a Ph.D. (2014) and M.S. (2006) in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University, and a B.S. in Animal Behavior (with a Chinese minor) from Bucknell University (2004). Her research focuses on wildlife ecology, conservation biology, and landscape ecology with emphasis on giant panda conservation, coupled human-natural systems, and telecoupling frameworks. She has conducted extensive studies on habitat selection, population dynamics, and conservation strategies for endangered species. Her work bridges ecological and social dimensions, addressing global sustainability challenges through interdisciplinary approaches. Notable contributions include studies on giant panda social networks, functional connectivity, and mammal recovery in protected areas. Hull has been recognized with prestigious fellowships including the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Her postdoctoral research further expanded her expertise in giant panda ecology and telecoupling theory.

• Environmental Law
• Climate Justice
• Climate Change
• +3 more

Gabriel López Porras is a Professor of Environmental Law at the Faculty of Zootechnics and Ecology of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua (Mexico). He holds a fellowship at the Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute on Transitions (January 2024–June 2024). His work bridges environmental law, Earth system science, and policy design to address climate change, dryland degradation, and sustainable water governance. Education: PhD in Sustainability from the University of Leeds (UK) Postdoc in Earth System Law at the University of Lincoln (UK) MA in Environmental Law and Public Policy (Mexico) Law Degree from Autonomous University of Chihuahua Research focuses on Climate Justice , Earth System Law , and Adaptive Governance , emphasizing legal frameworks for sustainability. His recent work explores transforming Mexican water law through Earth system science principles and addressing dryland resilience in sub-Saharan Africa. Publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches to environmental challenges, including articles on arsenic contamination in water systems, legal paradigms for the Anthropocene, and stakeholder perceptions in greenspace management. He collaborates with the UN’s ‘Harmony with Nature’ program to advance global environmental governance. Collaborations include governments, NGOs, and academic institutions to mitigate ecological risks and promote equitable policies. His work bridges legal scholarship with actionable solutions for climate justice and ecological preservation.

Guangqing ChiView profile

Professor

• Environmental Demography
• Socio-Environmental Systems
• Climate Change Impacts
• +5 more

Dr. Guangqing Chi is a Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography at Pennsylvania State University, specializing in environmental demography and socio-environmental systems. His research focuses on human-environment interactions, climate change adaptation, and spatial/big data analytics. He leads initiatives like the POLARIS project and the Environmental Demography Network (EDeN), advancing resilience strategies for vulnerable populations and Arctic communities. Education: PhD in Environmental Demography (University of Wisconsin-Madison), MS in Environmental Policy (Michigan Tech), BS in Environmental Science (East China Normal University). Research emphasizes climate-driven migration, food security, and infrastructure resilience. Methodological expertise includes social media data analysis, spatial regression models, and big data integration. Current projects address Arctic community resilience, global food systems, and pandemic responses. Key contributions include the textbook Spatial Regression Models for the Social Sciences (SAGE 2019) and development of tools like the strm R package for spatial analysis. Advised students include Dr. Shuai Zhou (now at University of South Carolina). Labs/Teams: EDeN Network, POLARIS Project, Indigenous Peoples Observatory Network (IPON).

Shona Koren PatersonView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Climate Change Adaptation
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Social Justice and Equity
• +6 more

Dr. Shona Koren Paterson serves as Director of the Global Lives Research Centre and Senior Lecturer at Brunel University London's College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences. Her transdisciplinary work integrates natural and social sciences to address climate adaptation, social justice, and resilience in coastal communities, guided by international frameworks including the UN 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement. Her research centers on climate change adaptation , disaster risk reduction , and coastal resilience with a focus on marginalized populations. She pioneers transdisciplinary methodologies that bridge science, policy, and community knowledge, emphasizing art-science collaborations for effective communication of climate risks. Recent projects explore urban resilience, flood risk management, and equitable adaptation pathways through initiatives like Catching a Wave and the MACC Hub. Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent engagement with transdisciplinary systems thinking , coastal sustainability challenges , and science-policy interfaces . Her work increasingly incorporates creative methods and narrative approaches to address complex socio-ecological issues, particularly in urbanizing coastal zones facing climate threats. Scientific Awards: No awards were specified in available materials. She currently leads or participates in multiple significant grants including the UKRI-funded Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) Hub (2024-2027), the New Frontiers in Research Fund project Equitable Climate Adaptation Pathways for the Precariously Housed (2024-2027), and the Catching a Wave art-science initiative. These projects focus on climate adaptation, social equity, and innovative knowledge exchange through partnerships with institutions across six countries. Paterson directs the Global Lives Research Centre and co-leads Brunel's Equitable Development and Resilience Research Group. She also contributes to the Centre for Flood Risk and Resilience and the London Climate Ready Partnership. Her collaborative networks extend globally through the Catching a Wave Collective, which unites artists and scientists across East Carolina University, University of Wisconsin, University College Cork, and Brunel to advance ocean sustainability under the UN Decade of Ocean Science.