Dr Maud Borie

Dr Maud Borie’s work is located at the intersection of Human Geography and Science and Technology Studies (STS). Her core research area is biodiversity governance, prompted by an early interest in Ecology and the relational thinking it encourages. At the core of Maud’s interrogations is a concern over the ways in which knowledge, and whose knowledge, gets mobilised (or not), and with what socio-political implications.

On completion of her PhD analysing the making of global biodiversity expertise, Maud used similar conceptual approaches to study the development of disaster risk reduction and resilience strategies in different cities, looking at mapping practices in particular.

Maud is currently working on the politics of nature-based solutions and on green finance. She holds a PhD from the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia. She was also a visiting fellow with the Program on Science, Technology and Society at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Prior to that, she completed a cross-disciplinary dual master’s degree in Environmental Science and Politics at Sciences Po (French Institute of Political Sciences) and at the University Pierre and Marie Curie, in Paris.

Maud has done environment-related work with both public (e.g. UNESCO, French Audit Court) and private organisations. She has worked with the Mediterranean Wetlands Observatory and helped set up the Mediterranean Alliance for Wetlands, a network of 20+ NGOs operating in the Mediterranean region. 

Research

• Environmental governance (biodiversity and climate change)
• Environmental controversies
• Relations between environmental knowledge, expertise and policy
• Creative methods for sustainability and transformative change
• Geographies of science 

Maud's current research projects include:

• Mapping online engagement with nature-based solutions with Dr Jonathan Gray (Digital Humanities) and colleagues.
• Innovations in green finance with Professor Sarah Bracking.
• Innovative mapping methodologies with Dr Faith Taylor and colleagues.

Her past research projects: On completion of her PhD, Maud worked on different projects related to resilience and disaster risk reduction, in particular ‘Why we disagree about resilience’ (GCRF funded) and ‘Preparing for Extreme and Rare events in coastal regions’ (PEARL, EU-funded).

Maud has also worked on innovative instruments for biodiversity conservation (ecological fiscal transfers in particular) in the context of the SCALES project (EU-funded).

Teaching

Maud convenes:

• Environmental science and policymaking (7SSG5165, MS Climate Change: Science and Policy)
• Policy and application of Geography research (6SSG3061)

She contributes to both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching including:

• Geographies of financialisation and value-making (6SSG3087)
• Tourism, Conservation and Environment (7SSGN178)
• Qualitative research methods (5SSG2063; 7SSG5002) 

PhD supervision

Maud welcomes inquiries from prospective PhD students interested in the topics above. She is particularly keen to supervise projects related to:

• Biodiversity controversies (e.g. Contested Wetlands, Rewilding, etc).
• Interaction between environmental knowledges, and Green finance.

Further details

See Maud's research profile