Katherine Laycock is currently enrolled in PhD studies at the University of Waterloo, School of Planning. Her research seeks to identify barriers in local information and communication mechanisms to improve environmental planning for climate change adaptation in complex urban areas in the Philippines. More specifically, she is investigating associations and information exchanges between academe, adaptation implementers, and community members to understand how they interpret and communicate climate change needs and apply available knowledge and collaborations to adaptation practices within their environments.
Laycock recognizes the critical need to address challenges for vulnerable populations. She earned her MSc degree in capacity development and extension and international development studies from the University of Guelph where she investigated community cohesion, vulnerability, and capacity building following natural disaster. She also holds an Honours BA in political science and global studies from Wilfrid Laurier University. Laycock will be a visiting researcher for the Jesse M. Robredo Institute of Governance at De La Salle University, Philippines in 2016 and has previously worked on research projects for the Coastal Cities at Risk (CCaR) and the United Nations University — Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-IWEH). She also completed a six-month, CIDA-funded internship in Addis Ababa and was an armed conflicts report intern for Project Ploughshares.