Dr Katie Meehan
Reader in Environment and Society
Research interests
- Environment
Contact details
Biography
Dr Katie Meehan is an expert in cities, infrastructure, water governance, informal urban development, environmental justice and the politics of climate change knowledge. She has worked in Mexico and the US Southwest for over a decade.
In January 2019, she joined King's after nine years as an Assistant/Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Oregon (2010-2019) – her home state. Katie completed her PhD in Geography at the University of Arizona (2010), along with a Graduate Certificate in Water Policy. She earned a MSc in Environmental Change and Management (with Distinction) from University of Oxford, and a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon.
Prior to academic life, Katie worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer and Environmental Educator in Belize (2000-02) and Guatemala (2002-03).
Research
- Urban political ecology
- Environmental justice and racial capitalism
- Household water security
- Infrastructure and cities
- Politics of climate change knowledge
- Social study of science and technology (STS)
- Mixed methodology
- Latin America and the US
Katie directs two major research initiatives. With a focus on social and spatial disparities in urban infrastructure provision, the Plumbing Poverty project examines how households experience insecure water access in high-income countries, especially cities. Drawing on theories of urban political ecology and racial capitalism, coupled with ethnographic and census-based research, this project is the first of its kind to explore the social geography of insecure water access in the Americas, with new work planned for the UK and Europe. For policy-relevant insights of this work, please see our report 'Plumbing poverty in US cities: A report on gaps and trends in household water access, 2000 to 2017.'
In 2017, Katie launched a second project on 'Knowledge Integration', which explores how climate change experts collaborate and integrate environmental knowledge across international borders, disciplinary cultures, and spatial scales. Drawing on creative techniques such as Q Method, Katie and her team are trying to identify new pathways to transdisciplinary knowledge integration. This research is sponsored by the US National Science Foundation through 2022.
In addition to teaching and research, Katie is a lead Editor (Nature and Society) for the Annals of the American Association of Geographers, a flagship journal of the discipline, and a Steering Committee Member for the NSF-funded Household Water Insecurity (HWISE) Research Network, which seeks to catalyze social science discovery at the intersection of policy and practice.
Teaching
Undergraduate
- 5SSG2065 Cities and Citizenship
Postgraduate
- 7SSG5180 Governing the Sustainable City
- 7SSG5147 Globalisation and the Environment
- 7SSG5104 Water Resources and Policy
PhD supervision
Katie welcomes inquiries from prospective PhD students who share her research interests above. When contacting Katie as a prospective supervisor, please include a current CV, a concise description of your potential thesis topic, and brief explanation of why you would like to study at King’s.
Further details
Research
Urban Futures research group
Examining urban futures through a conceptual, analytical and methodological lens that questions what cities are and how they work.
Contested Development research group
Exploring environmental, political and social questions in relation to contested and uneven processes of development.
King's Water Centre
Researching water, environment and development. Our centre spans the humanities, social, and physical sciences to explore the challenges of water governance from global to local scales.
King's Climate Research Hub
Studying climate change through the relationship between science, policy and culture, particularly in the developing world.
Political Ecology, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services
The Political Ecology, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services (PEBES) group provides a collaborative focus for work on the social (re)production of nature, environmental conservation and resource management.
News
New book argues for a critical, social understanding of water to solve global challenges
The book by academics from the King’s Water Centre explores how social practices and geometries of power shape the flow of water.
Project on household water insecurity receives €2 million in funding
A research project analysing insecure water access in Europe and the United States has been awarded €2 million by the European Research Council (ERC).
Progressive water policy needs to be intrinsically linked to human rights and sustainability
King’s Water Centre has launched four policy papers that explore how we can ensure we have a just and sustainable water future.
Fast-growing cities in the US also have increasing numbers of residents without access to piped water, finds new report
A new in-depth report finds an increase in households without piped running water – what the authors call ‘plumbing poverty’ – in some of America’s wealthiest...
Events
King's Water Centre launch
Join us in celebrating cutting-edge, interdisciplinary water research at King's.
Please note: this event has passed.
Research
Urban Futures research group
Examining urban futures through a conceptual, analytical and methodological lens that questions what cities are and how they work.
Contested Development research group
Exploring environmental, political and social questions in relation to contested and uneven processes of development.
King's Water Centre
Researching water, environment and development. Our centre spans the humanities, social, and physical sciences to explore the challenges of water governance from global to local scales.
King's Climate Research Hub
Studying climate change through the relationship between science, policy and culture, particularly in the developing world.
Political Ecology, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services
The Political Ecology, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services (PEBES) group provides a collaborative focus for work on the social (re)production of nature, environmental conservation and resource management.
News
New book argues for a critical, social understanding of water to solve global challenges
The book by academics from the King’s Water Centre explores how social practices and geometries of power shape the flow of water.
Project on household water insecurity receives €2 million in funding
A research project analysing insecure water access in Europe and the United States has been awarded €2 million by the European Research Council (ERC).
Progressive water policy needs to be intrinsically linked to human rights and sustainability
King’s Water Centre has launched four policy papers that explore how we can ensure we have a just and sustainable water future.
Fast-growing cities in the US also have increasing numbers of residents without access to piped water, finds new report
A new in-depth report finds an increase in households without piped running water – what the authors call ‘plumbing poverty’ – in some of America’s wealthiest...
Events
King's Water Centre launch
Join us in celebrating cutting-edge, interdisciplinary water research at King's.
Please note: this event has passed.