Sarra Kchouk

Sarra Kchouk is a Researcher at Wageningen University & Research, specializing in Soil Physics and Land Management. She holds a PhD from Wageningen University (2024), where her research focused on the human dimensions of drought in Northeast Brazil. Her work bridges environmental science, sociology, and policy analysis to address drought resilience and water management challenges in semi-arid regions.

Research Interests: Kchouk’s expertise centers on drought monitoring systems, socio-hydrological interactions, and policy implications of drought impacts. She emphasizes the need for context-sensitive approaches, particularly in understanding how communities experience and respond to drought differently from official monitoring frameworks. Her interdisciplinary work integrates climatic, ecological, and social dimensions to propose actionable solutions for vulnerable regions.

Publications Highlight: Recent articles explore misalignments between drought indices and community realities, the role of small reservoirs in drought impacts, and memory effects in socio-ecological systems. She co-authored influential reviews on drought as a continuum and the application of medical diagnostic frameworks to environmental challenges. These works underscore her commitment to bridging scientific and local knowledge systems.

Grants & Collaboration: Her PhD project (2019–2024) investigated water-related human dimensions of drought in Brazil, supervised by Prof. Hellegers, Dr. Melsen, and Dr. van Oel. She collaborates with Brazilian institutions and international networks, contributing to datasets on drought indices and policy implications. Outputs include open-access publications and tools for drought preparedness in Northeast Brazil.

Labs & Teams: Kchouk is part of interdisciplinary teams addressing global drought challenges, focusing on participatory monitoring, policy integration, and adaptive governance strategies. Her work often involves field studies in semi-arid regions, combining quantitative hydrological analysis with qualitative social science methods.