Maria Augusta Paim

Dr. Maria Augusta Paim serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge and holds a Fellowship at the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (C-EENRG). She is a core contributor to the BRIDGE project (Building Resilience In a Dynamic Global Economy), a UK-Brazil collaboration funded by the Newton Fund/ESRC focused on governance of the Brazilian Water-Energy-Food Nexus amid climate change.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in International Law from the University of São Paulo (thesis on international law of the sea and oil platform qualification, published as a book)
• LL.M. in Maritime Law from the University of Southampton (awarded via British Council Chevening Scholarship)

Maria Augusta's research integrates climate change governance with Water-Energy-Food Nexus challenges through international environmental law frameworks. Her expertise spans law of the sea, energy law, and natural resource governance, informed by practical legal experience in energy dispute resolution. This interdisciplinary approach bridges legal theory with sustainability implementation in resource-constrained contexts.

Key recognition includes:

• British Council Chevening Scholarship

Prior to Cambridge, she served as a Visiting Fellow in international law of the sea at Queen Mary University of London, guest lecturing on International Environmental Law courses. As a Brazilian-qualified lawyer, she practiced dispute resolution at a leading São Paulo law firm specializing in energy and commercial law. Her current work engages with the Conservation Research Institute's focus on Conservation Across Protected and Productive Landscapes through the BRIDGE project's multidisciplinary team.