Susanne Boerner

Dr. Susanne Boerner is an Assistant Professor in Human Geography at the University of Birmingham, affiliated with the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. Her research focuses on youth agency, urban well-being, climate change impacts on mental health, and decolonial approaches to human-nature relations. She leads the 'Sustainable, Liveable and Resilient Cities' research theme at the Centre for Urban Wellbeing, emphasizing participatory knowledge co-production with marginalized communities.

Education includes a PhD (Dr. phil) from Goethe University Frankfurt, M.Sc. degrees in Environmental Sciences and Technology, and a B.A. in European Studies. She has held roles such as Marie Curie Global Fellow (2019–2023), exploring youth resilience in Brazil.

Notable projects include work on disaster risk resilience in Djibouti and Timor Leste, funded by KfW and GIZ. Awards include the Marie Curie Fellowship. She is a member of the RGS-IBG research groups on Geographies of Childhood and Participatory Geographies.

Her research integrates community-based knowledges into urban policy, with a focus on ancestral wisdom and emotional resilience. She also runs White Owl Shamanism for healing practices.