EWC Research Speaker Series featuring Dr. Samantha Kies-Ryan

The need to manage watersheds and water sources sustainably is urgent, as access to clean water now and into the future is a key challenge for Pacific states impacted by climate change. We will need major transformational shifts in the way that we interact with our biosphere, water and oceans in order to provide water access for all. To be able to manage and protect our water sources into the future, there a need for transdisciplinary work across academic disciplines, but also between Western and non-Western epistemologies. It is increasingly clear that in order to work with communities to understand the challenges that they face on the ground and to build resilience to enable them to adapt it is essential to engage with and apply diverse forms of knowledge (eg. Western scientific knowledge and traditional cultural knowledge).

This talk will present Research Innovation and Collaboration Exchange Fellow Dr Samantha Kies-Ryan’s research into working with communities in water security in the Solomon Islands during and after her professional Doctorate and discuss the research project that she is embarking on at the East West Center that is attempting to build bridges between research and practice in this transdisciplinary space.

The views expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect East-West Center policies or positions.

Dr. Samantha Kies-Ryan is director at Earth Water People a company that works in sustainable resource management in the Pacific. Samantha’s research focuses on creative methods for community cultural engagement in sustainable water management in the Pacific. She is currently based in the Marshall Islands and consults for a range of sustainable resource management projects for clients such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and the United Nations Development Program. Samantha completed her professional Doctorate at the Queensland University of Technology.

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