Vanessa Lamb

Vanessa Lamb is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Science at York University, specializing in political ecology and transboundary water governance. Her research examines environmental conflicts in Southeast Asia, particularly focusing on rivers as political borders and sites of resource contestation. Lamb co-edited the volume 'Knowing the Salween River' and leads research projects on sand mining impacts and hydropower politics.

Lamb's work investigates the socio-ecological dimensions of rivers like the Salween (Thai-Myanmar border) and Irrawaddy, analyzing how communities navigate governance challenges amid hydropower development and sand extraction. Her recent publications critique narratives of 'resource crises' and examine slow resistance strategies in authoritarian contexts.

She has developed innovative methodologies for studying transboundary sand economies and their livelihood impacts, with fieldwork spanning Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia. Lamb's research contributes to feminist political ecology frameworks and environmental justice scholarship.