Location: Ernest Rutherford 262
Project title: The exposure of international migrants to natural hazards: An Aotearoa New Zealand case study
Supervision team:
Dr. Sarah Beaven
Dr. Thomas Robinson (co-supervisor)
Professor Malcolm Campbell (associate supervisor)
Short Bio: I am an interdisciplinary social-environmental researcher with a keen interest in international migration and disaster risk reduction. Before starting my PhD at the University of Canterbury, I worked within the migration and refugee resettlement sector in Seattle, Washington (USA) and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa (New Zealand). In Aotearoa, my work examined how tertiary education institutions could better support and enhance the experiences of learners from refugee backgrounds.
My PhD research examines where, how, and why migrant communities in Aotearoa are exposed to natural hazards across national, regional, and local scales. It combines quantitative geospatial analysis and qualitative approaches to holistically explore the complexities underlying why people choose to live where they live and how this links to (un)equal proximity to hazards. Additionally, my project investigates how emergency preparedness, response, and recovery initiatives can be better designed to address inequities of hazard exposure by centering the perspectives and needs of Aotearoa’s migrant communities.
Research Interests:
- International migration and disaster risk reduction
- Forced migration
- Interdisciplinary disaster risk reduction
- Social-ecological systems and theory
- GIS and hazard risk assessment
Academic History:
- Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and English, Oberlin College (2016)
- Master of Development Studies (Distinction), Victoria University of Wellington (2020)
