Sara Mehryar

Sara Mehryar is a Research Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science, specializing in climate adaptation governance and multi-hazard resilience. Her work bridges academic research and policy implementation through international collaborations with governments, NGOs, and private sector partners.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and Geo-information Management, University of Twente
• MSc in Urban Design and Planning, Delft University of Technology
• BSc in Architecture, University of Guilan

Her research centers on climate adaptation decision-making using mental modeling and social simulation to analyze resilience across multiple hazards. She investigates how policy frameworks can address risk interdependencies while maximizing co-benefits and minimizing unintended consequences. Current work emphasizes multi-hazard adaptation in petroleum-based economies and AI-enhanced governance systems, with field applications spanning Kuwait, the UK, and European contexts.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals three dominant trends: (1) Evolution from engineering-focused flood resilience to transformative urban adaptation approaches, (2) Increasing integration of computational methods (agent-based modeling, fuzzy cognitive mapping) with policy analysis, and (3) Growing emphasis on cross-hazard interdependencies in climate risk management, particularly heat-flood interactions in urban settings.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Jose Maria Sarriegi scientific dissemination prize (2023) for flood resilience research

Mehryar leads major international grants including the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance (2025-2027, potential extension to 2035), ATTENUATE climate adaptation project (UKRI-Defra), and Kuwait-focused multi-hazard adaptation research. She serves as Principal Investigator for ELEVATE (British Council) and Co-Investigator for EU Horizon Europe's IDAlert initiative, demonstrating consistent success in securing competitive funding across governmental, private, and international sources.

As part of the Grantham Research Institute and European Social Simulation Association management committee, she contributes to global knowledge networks focused on climate resilience, with particular emphasis on participatory modeling approaches and policy-relevant tool development.