A Bit About Me

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Cawthron Institute - the largest independent science organisation in New Zealand. My postdoctoral research examines the social, cultural, and political-economic histories and contemporary management of lakes in New Zealand, as part of a large interdisciplinary project that seeks to reconstruct the environmental history of 10% of New Zealands' lakes (see https://lakes380.com/).

I recently completed my PhD at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, where I spent the last 5 years researching the development and early implementation of the BC Water Sustainability Act.

Prior to commencing my PhD, I was employed as a research assistant at the University of British Columbia, where I contributed to a research project on drinking and source water governance in small communities; and the development of a mass online open course on solutions to the global water crisis.

Previously, I worked as a research analyst at Auckland Council (a regional authority) in New Zealand, having completed a Master of Science in geography at the University of Auckland in 2012. My Masters' thesis explored opportunities and barriers to urban stream protection through greenfield development.

My key interests are in environmental policy, management, and governance, particularly with regard to freshwater systems. Over the course of my PhD I gained significant insight into environmental law, policy, and planning; water governance; and transformational change; as well as the roles of local communities, Indigenous actors, and NGOs in enacting a progressive water politics. My background in geography, experience in interdisciplinary research, and work in the local government sector have provided me with the skills and knowledge to work competently with a range of academic, government and community actors.