Resume
Education
PhD Researcher, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter 2010-13
Doctoral research on the geo-political outcomes of adaptation processes amongst resource-dependent livelihood groups in Ethiopia and Kenya. Awarded an AXA Doctoral Fellowship for research on environmental risk.
MSc Environment and International Development, University of East Anglia, UK 06-07
Postgraduate research training accredited by the Economic and Social Research Council.
Modules include: Understanding Environmental Change; Research Techniques and Analysis; Policies and Issues in Environment and Development; Education and Development; Conflict, Peace and Security.
Dissertation on vulnerability and adaptation to climate change amongst traditional fishing communities, based on primary fieldwork undertaken in South West England.
BA (Hons) Archaeology. University of Newcastle upon Tyne 02-05
Specialisation in British prehistory and cultural heritage management.
Modules include: Archaeological Fieldwork; Artefacts in Archaeology; Anthropology; Human Evolution; Ethnoarchaeology; Museums and Heritage; Archaeological Theory; Archaeological Science; Prehistoric Britain and Europe.
Dissertation – Awarded a first-class grade. Undertaken on the conservation and management of Mongolian rock art, based on primary fieldwork carried out during an expedition to Mongolia in 2004.
Professional Experience
Research Assistant, Dept of Resource Management & Geography, Melbourne University 01/09 – 04/10
• Primary researcher for an Australian Research Council funded project on vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in the small island developing states of the South Pacific.
• Responsible for planning, organising and undertaking all elements of research and fieldwork for this study, the focus of which was on understanding the impacts of extreme events and associated flooding on two communities in the Kingdom of Tonga. Primary research themes included: land tenure and social vulnerability; implications of migration as adaptation in the Pacific; health impacts of tidal and fresh water inundation; climate change and human security.
• Completed five months of independent fieldwork in Tonga, which consisted of GIS mapping, household livelihood surveys, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, personal observations, analysis of medical and climate records, and extensive literature reviews.
• Analysed data and wrote up findings for academic publication, as well as reports for the Tongan government, local and international NGOs, the two study communities and other stakeholders.
Policy Team Member, Australian Youth Climate Coalition ‘Project Survival Pacific’ 05/09 – 04/10
• Volunteer member of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition’s ‘Project Survival Pacific’ policy team.
• Climate Change vulnerability and adaptation specialist.
• Role involved lobbying governments and corporations and raising public support for emission mitigation and climate change adaptation in the Pacific, fundraising for Pacific youth to attend international negotiations, assisting to set up national Pacific youth climate networks, and submission writing on behalf of the AYCC.
Project Officer, Burung (Birdlife) Indonesia and Prestasi Junior Indonesia 02/08 – 05/08
• I was responsible for implementing a sustainable rural livelihoods and environmental education project on the island of Sangihe, in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, on behalf of two NGOs: Burung (Birdlife) Indonesia, and Prestasi Junior Indonesia (Junior Achievement Worldwide).
• This was a pilot project to promote sustainable environmental entrepreneurship to young people in remote locations who have few livelihood opportunities available to them. I worked with young high school graduates, students and community groups in order to promote environmental sustainability and livelihood diversification. I was also involved in conservation of the island’s critically endangered endemic bird population, and fundraising for a local NGO.
Team Leader, Cameroon ‘Cultural Survival’ Expedition 2006
• Led a British-Cameroonian cultural mapping expedition to the Djoum region of southern Cameroon to record cultural and resource-based reliance on the rainforest by indigenous Baka communities.
• Expedition was approved and supported by the Royal Geographical Society and Newcastle University, and was undertaken in association with the NGO Rainforest Alliance UK.
• Independently planned and organised this expedition, fundraised and managed a budget of over £10,000, and supervised the team in the field for three months of primary data collection. Methods used included household surveys, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, GIS mapping and ecological assessments. Results were disseminated through reports, presentations and an online interactive map.
Team Leader, Kenya ‘Traditions Across Time’ Expedition 2005
• Led an archaeological and anthropological research expedition to central Kenya, where the joint UK-Kenyan team worked alongside Samburu warriors in order to locate and record ceremonial rock paintings in concealed Rift Valley shelters, and to gain an understanding of the implications of social development and cultural change within Samburu society.
• Responsible for recruiting and training the team, fundraising and managing the budget, organising logistics, supervising fieldwork and analysing data. Results were published in the journal Azania in 2006.
Team Member, Mongolian ‘Rock Art Survey’ Expedition 2004
• Participated in an archaeological expedition to locate, map and document previously unrecorded Bronze Age rock engravings and burial mounds. Over 1000 engravings were recorded and photographed by the team, and I was additionally responsible for planning and undertaking ethnographic research with surrounding communities on beliefs, perceptions and knowledge of the rock art, and on options for its management and conservation.
Courses and Training
• Introduction to Humanitarian Aid Operations – Run by Australian Aid International (May 2010). Provides training on the international humanitarian system and organisations; humanitarian law; the Humanitarian Imperative and SPHERE Minimum Standards; codes and guidelines; media liaison; security; cross-cultural and gender issues.
• ‘Outdoor’ Expedition First Aid Course – Two-day comprehensive course for first aid in remote locations (March 2011)
• Wilderness Medical Training – Two-day foundation ‘Far From Help’ course (March 2006)
Additional Skills
• IT skills: Microsoft Office
• ArcGIS mapping
• Data analysis with SPSS
• Languages: Basic Arabic and French
• Fundraising
• Proposal writing
• Report writing and editing
• Training and capacity building