Zoë Meletis

Zoë Meletis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), affiliated with the Faculty of Environment and the School of Planning and Sustainability. She serves as the NRES Graduate Coordinator and teaches in the Geography and Environmental and Sustainability Studies programs. Her academic roles include supervising MA students in the NRES program with specializations in Geography and Environmental Studies.

Her educational background includes a PhD from Duke University (2007), an MScPl from the University of Toronto, and a BA from McGill University.

Zoë's research lies at the intersection of human-environment relations, political ecology, and environmental justice. Her work critically examines tourism and ecotourism development, local perceptions of environment and place, consumption politics, conservation, and the socio-spatial dynamics of rural gentrification and amenity migration. She investigates how planning and environmental management practices can perpetuate or challenge social and ecological inequities, particularly in the Global South and coastal regions of North America.

Her regional expertise spans Latin America—especially Costa Rica and the Caribbean—as well as coastal Eastern North Carolina in the United States. She employs qualitative methodologies to explore the socio-political dimensions of environmental change, development, and sustainability.

She teaches ENVS 309: Gender and Environment and NRES 773: Advanced Qualitative Research Methodologies, reflecting her interdisciplinary and critical approach to environmental studies.

• PhD, Duke University, 2007
• MScPl, University of Toronto
• BA, McGill University

Zoë Meletis serves as the NRES Graduate Coordinator and supervises graduate students in the MA NRES program with concentrations in Geography and Environmental Studies. While specific grants are not listed, her research profile suggests active engagement in funded projects related to sustainability, justice, and community-based environmental governance.

Her work is institutionally situated within the School of Planning and Sustainability and the Department of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, contributing to interdisciplinary research on sustainability and environmental governance at UNBC.