Welcome to Lund University. Which university did you recently come from?
– I came from Loughborough University in the UK, where I had been since 2010. Prior to that I was based at the University of Copenhagen for 17 years, hence speak fluent Danish.
What is (or has been) the main focus of your research?
– My research focuses primarily on low-income housing and livelihoods in urban areas of the global South. Climate change, and in particular the impact of extreme heat, has become one of my core foci. I have conducted considerable research on young people, and looking ahead am interested to focus more on older people.
– My initial PhD research was on self-help housing in Colombia, and I have followed the progress of families consolidating their homes over several decades. Ghana and Colombia continue to be the primary loci of my research, though many of my research projects have included multiple countries from across Africa, Latin America and Asia. Current and recent projects include: the impact of extreme weather events in Ghana (VEWECand REFIT); creative industries in Ghana (ACIG); livelihoods in artisanal fisheries in Ghana (HOTSPOT2); and promoting the peace process in Colombia (Paz Alto Cauca).
What is the most fun thing about being a professor?
– What I enjoy most is interacting with interesting people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds, whether students, colleagues or respondents, in very varied settings around the world. I feel privileged that so many people have shared their life experiences with me, and I live in hope that my research can contribute to improving their lives in some way.
What is your impression of Lund so far?
– I’m enjoying living in Lund and cycling to work, which brings back memories of being an undergraduate in Cambridge. The Department of Human Geography has been very welcoming and is international in composition and outlook. Through attending the DevRes 2024 conference hosted by LU, I have already met a range of intellectually stimulating colleagues from across the university.
What qualities in your role as a professor do you think you will mainly be able to contribute with?
– I have extensive experience of leading collaborative, interdisciplinary research projects, which I hope to draw on to obtain further research funding, both as principal investigator and co-investigator. At this stage of my career, I particularly enjoy mentoring more junior colleagues to help them achieve success.
What do you feel most curious to learn more about?
– Through collaborating with architectural engineers, I am keen to discover affordable ways of retrofitting homes and workplaces to reduce indoor temperatures in low-income settlements that experience extreme heat.