Dr Paola Sakai

Paola Sakai is an economist with over 10 years of experience specialising in climate change adaptation and resilience research in developing and developed contexts at the University of Leeds, where she was also awarded her doctorate.

I am a highly innovative, problem-solving, changemaker, and committed academic making a significant positive impact in the world. I do challenge-led, use-inspired, solutions-oriented research that improves systems, accelerates sectorial collaboration, connects disciplines and institutions, and inspires students.

Paola is an expert on the economic impacts of flooding on SMEs. She investigated the 2015 Boxing Day Floods in the Calderdale Borough, UK, and her results were used by the Flooding Commission of the Council as well as the UK House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee as evidence of the impact of flooding on SMEs. She has also examined the flood risk mitigation strategies that this type of organisation can take and sent evidence to the enquiry launched by the House of Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. She has investigated the interface between flooded SMEs and the insurance sector, and currently,y she has an innovative project with the insurance industry and Local Authorities across Yorkshire and the Humber to increase the flood resilience of SMEs.

Her other expertise lies in cities where she has focused on collaborative urban strategic planning to tackle the climate change challenge. She is part of the Climate Resilient Cities initiative where she led a successful project about how three cities in three countries could cooperate to enable climate-resilient development (Triangle-city). Among the project's legacies was enabling the creation of the first Trinational Economic and Sustainable Development Council in Latin America (CODETRI), which is pushing to work together for a sustainable region. She is part of the Climate Smart Cities team where she modelled the CO2 emissions of the transport and waste sectors in Lima Peru; and was an advisor of the CSC in Calgary, Canada. She also has experience in climate services, examining how the UK water sector used climate change information to make adaptation decisions.

Paola was awarded a prestigious UKRI Research and Innovation Fellowship where she is developing the strategic case for enabling collaborative action to build resilience in resilient urban infrastructure at a city scale, exploring the synergies between disaster risk reduction and improvements in productivity, economic growth, employment, environmental quality, and human well-being. This research will focus on the Leeds city area, seeking to draw lessons that can be applied more broadly to other cities in the UK and abroad. The research directly informs and leads the Climate Resilience Working Group of the Leeds Climate Commission. She has been ensuring a strong stakeholder engagement to maximise policy uptake, increase climate resilience and the economic productivity of UK industries, and positively impact the lives of the UK cities' inhabitants, and beyond. Her results are being tested in the Strategic Health Asset Planning and Evaluation tool of PHE to enable cross-council collaborative strategic planning towards increasing the climate resilience, health, well-being and development of Leeds.

She is also a lecturer in the Faculty of Economics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico since 2004.

Research interests

Paola is interested in climate change adaptation and resilience research in developing and developed contexts. Her work has produced impactful results in cities and organisations. She specialises in climate vulnerability, where she has investigated the synergies between disaster risk reduction, improvements in health and wellbeing, and promotion of inclusive growth. Her work in cities focuses on evidence-based collaborative strategic planning and city-to-city cooperation to create resilient cities, SMEs and food systems; climate finance and economic assessments of weather-related events, geothermal energy, and climate-compatible development..

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Leeds
BSc (Hons) Economics, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
BSc Business Administration, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM)
Graduate Diploma in Stock Finance, Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology (ITAM)
Graduate Diploma in Planning, Programming and Budgeting (UNAM)

Professional memberships

Citizenship

Mentor of Michael Beverley Innovation Fellows -MIT programme, UoL 2022- present
Athena Swan Committee – Faculty of Environment –Member 2020 - present
Healthier & Resilient Food Systems Network -Public Health England -Member 2022 - present
Mine Energy Task force -Member 2022 - present
North Yorkshire Intelligence Group on Covid-19 of Public Health England –Member 2020- 2022
Weather and Health Impact Cross-Council group of Public Health of the Leeds City Council –2019- 2022
Eurocities -Food Working Group -join membership with the Leeds City Council – 2021-present
Air Pollution and Health board of the Leeds City Council – 2020-present
Leeds Climate Commission –2018-2020

Research

Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy –Research Associate
Priestley International Centre for Climate –Research Associate
Global Food and Environment Institute –Research Associate
Water@Leeds –Research Associate
Frontiers in Sustainability Journal – Sustainable Organisations - Review Editor
RENKEI -UK Japan Research Network –Research Associate
UK-Brazil Resilience Research Network -Co-founder and Research Associate
Laboratory of Climate Change and Statistics Modelling, Quintana Roo University, Research Associate

Funding

· PI – Policy Fund Support. Food for Our Own Good: harnessing geo-energy for a clean, climate-resilient, just and healthy food system in Leeds (£23,078, 2021 -ongoing). This is a top-up to the previous funding to continue advancing the proof of concept to get a big funding stream.

· PI -Michael Beverly Innovation Fellowship. ‘Food for Our Good’ explores subsurface solutions to increase the resilience of the Leeds food system. Funded by the University of Leeds Alumni (£10,000, 2021-ongoing). This project aims to create a public-private research and innovation partnership that will explore cutting-edge technologies to produce food that is nutritious, climate-resilient, clean and just. We will focus on geothermal sources to heat glasshouses and vertical farms to produce nutritious food. We will examine ways in which sustainable entrepreneurs could channel this healthy food to schools, care homes, hospitals, and food banks to encourage a business ecosystem that fuels a resilient, clean and kind food system.

· Co-I, Implementing Urban Agroecology as Green Infrastructure to increase socio-economic resilience in the face of climate change. Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Mexico (£2,000, 2020-2021). This project is to develop collaborations and train Mexican students on this topic.

· Deputy PI, Environmental Science to promote public health and well-being in the Climate Emergency. Funded by NERC through iCASP (£170,000, 2020-ongoing). Co-I of a project that aims to integrate environmental data and a tool that I produced in a web system and work with Public Health of the Leeds City Council and other Departments to enhance climate-resilient decision-making in the Climate Emergency declared by the Leeds City Council. This project is to produce policy impact.

· Co-I, Improving flood risk communication through engagement tools. NERC through iCASP (£123,884, 2020-ongoing). Co-I of a project that aims to deliver engagement tools to promote resilient behaviours in communities vulnerable to flooding across Yorkshire. This project is to produce impact.

· PI, Bridging gaps to boost SMEs resilience: Closing the knowledge gap between Local Authorities, insurers, lenders and surveyors on the economic impacts of flooding and resilience efforts of SMEs. Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council through the Yorkshire Integrated Catchment Solutions Programme (£250,000, 2019-2021). PI of a project that aims to increase the flood resilience of SMEs by co-developing two tools with and for WYCA, EA, Flood risk managers of Yorkshire and the Humber, and the insurance industry. One tool is to assess the economic costs of flooding on SMEs so Authorities enhance their business cases, and the other one is to assess the effectiveness of SMEs flood resilience so lenders, insurers, surveyors and brokers unlock insurance and lending processes for SMEs. This project produced a social/policy impact, and two papers are being prepared.

· Co-I, Yorkshire Future Flood Resilience Pathfinder. Funded by EA (£574,000, Leeds share £185,000, 2019-ongoing). Co-I of a project that aims to increase the effective uptake of PFR across the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (YRFCC) area. communities, planning and construction professionals, the construction industry and the insurance sector to deliver behaviour change that will lead to the increase in the usage of property flood resilience measures (PFR) across the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (YRFCC) area. This project is to produce social impact.

· PI, Water efficiency standards for new developments. NERC through iCASP (£2.000, 2019). PI of a project where evidence was gathered evidence for the Leeds City Council to adopt a policy on water efficiency standards. The evidence was taken into account and the policy has full policy weighting in determining new planning applications in Leeds. This project was to produce policy impact.

· Co-I, The economic development and social welfare of smallholder farmers in Parana, Brazil. Funded by the British Academy (£120,000, 2018-2020). Co-investigator of a project that investigated the use of current and alternative bioenergy crops in small-scale farming communities to increase their welfare while also considering policy perspectives to advance overall Sustainable Development Goals. This project sought to produce two papers.

· Deputy PI, UK-Brazil workshop on financing climate-resilient development in small and medium-sized cities. British Academy Newton Fund (£50,000, 2018). Funding to organise a week-long workshop to build links between early career researchers between the UK and Brazil. This project was to develop research links.

· PI -UKRI Research and Innovation Fellowship. The Economics and Financing of Resilient Urban Infrastructure. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (£417,310, 2018-2021, success rate: 27%). I was awarded a UKRI Research and Innovation fellowship to focus on developing the economic case for investing in resilient urban infrastructure at a city scale, exploring the synergies between disaster risk reduction and improvements in health, well-being, and inclusive growth. This project is to produce policy impact and journal articles.

· Deputy PI, Triangle-City Cooperation: building climate-resilience in the Parana basin. Climate Compatible Development network (CDKN), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (FFLA) (USD$456,070, 2016-2018, success rate: 5%). Co-investigator of the Triangle City Cooperation project which aimed to achieve climate compatible development in transboundary basins. Three cities were selected for this: Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, Foz de Iguacu, Brazil, and Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. We conducted vulnerability assessments of the three cities and through a participatory approaches, the project is providing the evidence of solutions that can be implemented to reduce climate risks and create development in 3 cities of 3 countries. I am the lead researcher coordinating a team of 3 partner organisations, 8 research assistants situated in the three countries. I liaise with ONU-Habitat, National and Local government to apply to the Adaptation Fund (https://triangle-city.leeds.ac.uk/). This project was strongly focused on impact, and numerous outputs were produced, e.g. policy briefs, reports, newsletters, information sheets, journal articles, and events.

· PI, Can ‘Flood Re’ increase the resilience of small businesses? Investigating flood insurance and other strategies to move forward. ESRC Centre for Climate change Economics and Policy (CCCEP): Innovation Fund (£10,000, 2016-2018). This project was to produce policy impact. I gathered evidence on the financial and practical means that small businesses have to manage the impacts of flooding and the alternative strategies available to reduce flood risk. The quantitative and qualitative data analysis was presented in a reaction workshop, written in the form of a report and sent to an EFRA Parliamentary call for evidence.

· PI, Economic Assessment of the 2015/16 Winter floods in Calderdale. ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP) (£2,000, 2016). I obtained a grant to conduct an Economic Assessment of the 2015 Boxing Day floods on SMEs in the Calderdale Borough. I developed a partnership with the Calderdale Council and a local NGO, which helped advertise the online survey that I developed. The outcome was a joint report which was used by the Flooding Commission of the Calderdale Council to seek funding towards the implementation of flood level protection. It was also used as evidence by the UK House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee and the Calderdale Flood Commission. This project was to produce practical knowledge.

· Co-I, Streaming: Getting the Social into Flood Policy. ESRC Festival of Social Science. Leeds, (£1,450, 2016)

· Co-I, Researchers in Development Conference series. Leeds Social Science Institute (£1,000, 2013 & 2012).

· Fieldwork grant for PhD project. Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds (£1,500, 2011).

· Young talented academics award: Beca Olmeca. National Autonomous University of Mexico (£19,000, 2009-2012).

·. PhD Scholarship. National Council on Science and Technology, Mexico. (2009-2013).

Publications

Journal articles

Sakai, P. and Yao, Z. (2021) Financial Losses and Flood Damages Experienced by SMEs: Who are the Biggest Losers Across Sectors and Sizes?. (International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, in review) Available at SSRN: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4207752

Afzal, N., Afionis, S., Stringer, L.C., Favretto, N., Sakai, M., and Sakai, P. (2021) Benefits and Trade-Offs of Smallholder Sweet Potato Cultivation as a Pathway toward Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability, 13(2), 552; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020552

Sakai, P., Afionis S., Favretto N., Stringer L.C., Ward C., Sakai M., Weirich Neto P.H., Hugo, Rocha C., Alberti Gomes, J., Maidl de Souza, N. and Neuman Afzal. (2020). Understanding the Implications of Alternative Bioenergy Crops to Support Smallholder Farmers in Brazil. Sustainability, 12 (5), pp. 2146 https://doi.org/10.3390/su12052146

Sakai, P. Caballero, N., Sakai, M., Aquino, C., Oreggioni, F., López, L., Oberling, D., Schneider, T., Franzini, A., Tischner, A. (2018) Climate vulnerability of Puerto Iguazú, Argentina: An adaptation pathway. Medio Ambiente y Urbanización, 88:1, June, pp. 63-94(32) https://tinyurl.com/yb5vhmdg

Sakai, P., Oberling, D., Schneider, T., López, L., Caballero, N., Oreggioni, F., Sakai, M., Tischner, A., Aquino C., Franzini, A., Coronel, G. (2017) Climate Change Adaptation in Ciudad del Este: Starting point Vulnerability Assessment. Paraquaria Natural 5(2) https://tinyurl.com/ybyh7ca6

Gouldson, A., Colenbrander, S., Sudmant, A., McAnulla, F., Kerr, N., Sakai, P., Hall. S., Papargyropoulou, E., Kuylenstierna, J. (2015) Exploring the economic case for climate action in cities. Global Environmental Change, 35 (November), p. 93–105 https://tinyurl.com/y42bz98h

Sakai, P., and Dessai, S. (2015) Can resilience framing enable adaptation to a changing climate? Insights from the UK water sector. SRI Working Paper No. 88; Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy Working Paper No. 228; Project ICAD No. 9; August 2015. P.32, https://tinyurl.com/y5pqhmqc

Journal articles at different stages of preparation

From the UKRI fellowship:

· Evidence-based collaborative urban strategic planning for adaptation pathways. Regional Environmental Change; IF: 3.48

· The economics of flood resilient SMEs: costs rippling in the regional economy. Target: International Journal of Disaster Risk Science; IF: 2.7

· Geosolutions to enable a clean and climate-resilient food system in Leeds. Target: Earth Science, Systems and Society

From the Innovation Fund and Bridging gaps to increase SMEs resilience:

· Vulnerability and resilience of SMEs: theoretical linkages and empirical findings. Target: Business Strategy and the Environment; IF: 10.3

· Sectoral determinants of SMEs flood costs: who are the biggest losers? In revision

· Coping and adaptive capabilities of SMEs. Target: International Journal of Disaster risk reduction; IF: 2.87

From Triangle-city cooperation:

· Factors that enable city to city cooperation for climate change adaptation. Target: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change; IF: 3.2

Government Enquiries

Sakai, P. (2022) Written response submitted to the Environmental Audit Committee on Technological Innovations and Climate Change, ‘Geothermal Technologies’. July, 2022. https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/110229/pdf/

Sakai, P. (2021) Written response submitted to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Investment Reform, ‘Local factors in managing flood and coastal erosion risk and Property Flood Resilience’. March, 2021. https://tinyurl.com/arpvvzp5

Sakai, P. (2020) Written evidence submitted to the House of Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee inquiry into the government’s approach to flood risk of inland flooding in England (by Dr Paola Sakai FLO0098). December. Published online by the EFRA Parliament Committee https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/10474/pdf/

Sakai, P. (2020) Submission to Call for Evidence to the House of Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee inquiry into the government’s approach to flood risk of inland flooding in England. Leeds, July. Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, and the Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds. https://tinyurl.com/y5zjrb3t

WYCA (2020) Written evidence submitted by West Yorkshire Combined Authority (FLO0052) https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/5132/pdf/

iCASP (2020) written evidence. Professor Joseph Holden, Professor Piers Forster, Professor Jouni Paavola, Dr Paola Sakai, Dr Tom Willis, Dr Jenny Armstrong, Dr David Dawson, Shelley Evans and Peter May. https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/4941/pdf/

Policy briefs

Sakai, P , Hoffmann, F and Carver, B (2022) Using geothermal mine water energy for food production in Leeds. Policy Leeds. University of Leeds https://doi.org/10.48785/100/92

Sakai, P., Bliss, T., Woodcock, S., Goldring, A. (2020) Growing a resilient food system in Leeds. Policy Brief, Policy Leeds brief 1., SRI Briefing Notes Series. ISSN 2056-8843 No. 28 https://doi.org/10.5518/100/62

Sakai, P. (2020) Should Flood Re be extended to SMEs? Leeds: Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, and the Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds https://tinyurl.com/ycdz3on3 and SRI Briefing Notes Series. ISSN 2056-8843 No. 27. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/y8m97j4r

Sakai, P., Rabb, B., Miller, H. (2019) The case for implementing an enhanced water efficiency standard for new developments in Leeds. Policy Brief. iCASP https://tinyurl.com/y5eeu8n7

Sakai, P. (2018). Estrategias de cooperación: la solución para aumentar la resiliencia de la Triple Frontera ante el cambio climático. Climate Resilient Cities in Latin America initiative, Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). https://tinyurl.com/bj7hdjdv

Sakai, P. (2017). Reduciendo la vulnerabilidad climática de las ciudades de la triple frontera. Informe para políticas. Climate Resilient Cities in Latin America initiative, Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). https://tinyurl.com/uksz4w9h

Media

· 2022 BBC Radio Leeds

· November 2021 BBC Radio Leeds

· June 2021 Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire Evening Post, University press office, Halifax Courier; Dewsbury Reporter; YorkshireLive; Environment Journal Online;

· March-November 2017 Argentina Forestal, Globo TV, Pagina 16, Radio Cataratas, Primera Edición de Misiones, Diario el Territorio

· April 2016 Yorkshire Post, BBC Radio, and TV Leeds, Halifax Courier

Reports

Sakai, P., Sakai, M., Yao, Z., Franzini, F., De Ita., C. (2021) Bridging the knowledge gap to boost SMEs flood resilience. University of Leeds and University of York. https://tinyurl.com/2p9fn98a

Sakai, P., Bliss T., Benton T., Woodcock S., Orfila C., Goldring A., Knowland T. and Jensen P. (2020) Enabling a climate resilient food system in Leeds that promotes health, sustainability and food security. Leeds, UK: Global Food and Environment Institute, University of Leeds, UKRI-ESRC, Chatham House. https://tinyurl.com/64wu62up

Sakai, P.; Sakai, M.; Aquino, C.; Oreggioni, F.; Franzini, A. C.; Schneider, T.; Tischner, A.; López, L.; Bardelás, A. y Caballero, N. (2018) Building climate resilience development in the Triangle-city region. Final report. Climate Resilient Cities in Latin America initiative, Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Leeds, UK https://tinyurl.com/y7xx9s7w

Sakai, P. (2018) Seleccionando soluciones para aumentar la resiliencia al cambio climático de las ciudades de la Triple Frontera. Climate Resilient Cities in Latin America initiative, Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). https://tinyurl.com/6ukbt89h

Sakai, P.; Sakai, M.; Schneider, T.; Oberling, D. F.; Oreggioni, F.; López, L.; Franzini, A. C.; Aquino, C.; Tischner, A.; Caballero, N. and Penagos, J. (2017) Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Strategies of the Triangle-City Region. Climate Resilient Cities in Latin America initiative, Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Leeds, UK https://tinyurl.com/y6jkh7qz. (200 pages, translated in 3 languages)

Sakai, P., Holdsworth, A., Curry, S. (2016) Economic impact assessment of the Boxing Day Floods (2015) on SMEs in the Borough of Calderdale. University of Leeds, Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, Calderdale Council. https://tinyurl.com/yxak3quc

Gouldson, A., Colenbrander, S., McAnulla, F., Sudmant, A., Kerr, N., Sakai, P., Hall. S., and Kuylenstierna, J. C. I. (2014) Exploring the Economic Case for Low-Carbon Cities. New Climate Economy contributing paper. Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds, and Stockholm Environment Institute, York, UK.

Gouldson, A., McAnulla, F., Sakai, P., Castro, S., Ramos, C., Sudmant, A. (2014) The Economics of Low Carbon Cities: A Mini-Stern Review for Lima Metropolitana. https://tinyurl.com/ybs5vw44

Videos

Sakai, P. (2022) Video documentary ‘Food and Geothermal energy’ to be used in the module Contemporary Economics of the MSc Sustainable Business Leadership (Research-led teaching). Digital Education Services, University of Leeds https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/ddd5a9a8-794e-49fa-9289-9ad23a9467e6

Sakai, P. (2022) Video documentary SMEs and flooding (Research-led teaching). Digital Education Services, University of Leeds https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/c28e6fa6-d41d-4900-a886-463eba1fe13f

Sakai, P. (2022) Video documentary Triangle-city cooperation (Research-led teaching). Digital Education Services, University of Leeds https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/b96dc736-84e7-4e59-8c84-2e522cfc977f

Sakai, P. & Sakai M. (2021) Animated video https://youtu.be/NmznABDFo44

Websites

Food for Our Own Good: https://tinyurl.com/kufkwt4r

Tool to Identify Climate Resilient Opportunities: https://tinyurl.com/2p97aja2

Tool to Assess Effective Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/8kvfc9a7

Triangle City Cooperation: https://tinyurl.com/mud93caf

Blogs

Sakai, P. (2022) Geothermal energy for food production. Global Food and Environment Institute, Autumn newsletter https://tinyurl.com/5445d8ud

Sakai, P. (2021) SMEs are the backbone of every economy: supporting their climate adaptation is vital. Leeds at COP26 blogs https://tinyurl.com/49tm9fzc

Sakai, P. (2021) Understanding SMEs to increase their flood resilience. Expert piece, January. Yorkshire Flood Resilience. Published online https://tinyurl.com/bdf7xcc4

Sakai, P. (2021) Understanding the Impacts of Flooding on UK SMEs. In: Partnership for the Planet. National Centre for Universities and Businesses. Winter 2021 page 7 https://tinyurl.com/5mumvd8z

Sakai, P. (2019). Winter is coming to Leeds…. Leeds, UK: Better Lives for People in Leeds. https://tinyurl.com/ycku5f7k

Public engagement

Orange Ibreck and Sakai, P. (2021) Art piece for the Youth Strike: Humans Playing God. https://tinyurl.com/yc5r495s

Bark, R., Martin-Ortega, J. Paavola, J., Sakai, P. (2016) “Streaming: Getting the Social into Flood Policy”. ESRC Festival of Social Science. Leeds, 7th November, 2016

Teaching-related publications

Online module: Contemporary Economics (2022) University of Leeds, UK. Minerva Platform

Online module: Financial Mathematics. (2006) Faculty of Economics, National Autonomous University of México. Moodle Platform

Hernández Montes de Oca, P. (2008) CD of Financial Mathematics for Distance Learning Economists, Faculty of Economics, National Autonomous University of México

Hernández Montes de Oca, P., Castillo, L. y Mendoza, J. (2007) Statistics –Exercises for online self-study, Faculty of Economics, National Autonomous University of México

Honours, Prizes and Awards

· Nominated by the Global Environment Food Institute to the Sustainability Awards, and obtained a high commendation for my work on local action 2021

· Water Women Award recognition for my inspiring story, UoL 2020

· Finalist of the Water change maker competition 2020

· Young talented academics award: Beca Olmeca, UNAM 2011

Conferences and network events

As invited speaker

· Invited to present my work at the Healthier & Resilient Food Systems Network, Public Health England, Online, 28th April, 2022

· Invited to present at a seminar on Implementing Urban Agroecology as Green Infrastructure to increase socio-economic resilience in the face of climate change. Coahuila University, Mexico May, 2021, online

· Keynote to the I & III Workshop of the International Research Network of Climate Resilience. (October, 2019, November, 2021)

· Invited to present my work to the Climate Change Emergency Advisory Committee of the Leeds City Council (November, 2020; February, 2021)

· Invited speaker at N8 Food Policy Hub Launch on Tackling global food issues through local action. 12th November 2020, online

· Invited speaker to the Weather and Health Impact Group of Public Health of the Leeds City Council December 2020, May 2021

· Invited expert to present my work on the quarterly meetings of the North Yorkshire Flood Risk Management Partnership (2020 x 3; 2021 x1), and the West Yorkshire Flood Risk Management Partnership (2020 x 3; 2021 x1)

· Invited expert to present my work on the 'Climate Change Day seminar' of the Chartered Insurance Institute (2020)

· Invited expert to present my work to the Our Future Leeds Schools group (2020 x 2)

· Invited expert to present my work to the Infrastructure and Investment group of the Leeds City Council (2019 x 2)

· Invited expert to present my work on the quarterly meeting of the Localities and Primary Care Group of Public Health of the Leeds City Council (2019)

· Invited expert to the roundtable discussion ‘Leeds City Council Climate Change Developer Forum Meeting’ (2019)

· Invited expert to present my work to the Climate Change Department of Public Health England (2019)

· Plataforma Regional LEDS LAC, Estrategias de desarrollo resiliente y bajo en emisiones. Webinar Construyendo la resiliencia en América Latina: la experiencia de 13 ciudades. Febrero, 2018. http://ledslac.org/es/2018/02/construyendo-la-resiliencia-climatica-en-america-latina-la-experiencia-de-13-ciudades/

Selected conferences

· ‘Evidence-based collaborative urban strategic planning for healthy climate adaptation pathways`. Public Health Research and Science Conference 24th May, 2021, online.

· Three cities, three countries, one challenge, planning to increase urban resilience in a transboundary context: the case of the Tri-border Region in the Parana basin. 13th International Conference of the European Society for Ecological Economics, 18-21 June 2019, Turku, Finland.

· “Factors enabling city-to-city cooperation for climate change adaptation”. 5th international climate change adaptation conference, Cape Town South Africa 18-21 June 2018

· “Community-led actions supporting SMEs resilience to flooding”. 7th International Conference on Flood Management, Leeds 5th-7th September 2017

· The economic impacts of flooding on businesses and their ripple effect”. Ideas in practice Seminar series on “Cities, Climate and Extreme Weather: policy, economics and public communication”. Leeds Business School, 4th July, 2016

· “Sustainable entrepreneurial traits as a way to harness SMEs to face climate change”. Corporate Social Responsibility Conference, Kedge Business School Marseille, 17th September 2015

· “Is the UK water sector becoming resilient to climate change?”. Third International Science and policy Conference on the resilience of social & ecological systems, Resilience and development: Mobilizing for Transformation. Montpellier, France, May, 2014

· “Past disaster damages as drivers of coping and adaptive strategies in small and medium community businesses”. Corporate Social Responsibility Conference, Leeds, September 2011

Network events

· Co-organiser of UK Brazil Researcher Links Workshop: Financing urban climate-resilient development, 10th September 2019, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.

· “The Economics of Climate Resilient Urban Infrastructure” China-UK Urban Regeneration and Sustainable Communities Leadership Workshop. 27-29 June 2018 | Xi’an Jiaotong University, Shaanxi, China.

· Renaturing Cities Workshop, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil, 10-13 July 2017

· “Business and investment opportunities for building urban climate resilience”. United Nations, Sustainable Cities, Habitat III. Ecuador, 18th October, 2016

Selected training

· Michael Beverley Innovation training program to drive entrepreneurial culture across the University. MIT approach, January-July, 2021

· Spatial Analytics for Public Health Researchers, Consumer Data Research Centre, University of Leeds, 21st October, 2019

· Introduction to QGIS, Consumer Data Research Centre, University of Leeds, 17th October 2019

· Introduction to R, Consumer Data Research Centre, University of Leeds, 1st November 2018

· Intro to GIS and Spatial Analysis for Retail Applications, Consumer Data Research Centre, University of Leeds, 5th Sept 2018

· Researcher Communications Training for a New Economy, University of Leeds, 27th of October

· Tableau Workshop, University of Leeds, 22nd February 2018, University of Leeds

· Open Access and REF 2021 Essentials, 30th January 2018, University of Leeds

· Engaging with the UK Parliament, 30th January 2018, University of Leeds

· Fast Track the impact of your research, 12th December, 2017

· TV Interview skills course, University of Leeds, 26th June, 2017

· Data Analytics for Social Media Workshop in Python. Central IT Services of University of Leeds and Queensland University of Technology. Leeds, UK. November, 2016

· Introduction to Using NVivo, 11th June 2013, University of Leeds

· Advanced Statistics: Multivariate Statistics, 8th June 2011, University of Leeds

· Methodology and Econometric Techniques Applied to the Economic Analysis, November, 2005. FE-UNAM

· Course in integration and competitiveness in the European Union. Universidad Pontificias Comillas, Madrid, Spain. June-August, 2000

· Doing Business with Asia, Bangkok University, Thailand. Dec 1998- June, 1999

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse