Brent Doberstein

Brent is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo, and Principal Investigator of the Retreating from Risk project. Brent has over 15 years experience researching a broad array of climate change adaptation themes.

Through Brent's connection with the International Development Research Centre-funded Coastal Cities at Risk (2011-2016) project, he was involved in studies of managed retreat in coastal megacities, and examined the associated issues of social vulnerability to climate change. Brent's 2012 research on global guidelines related to climate relocation and resettlement grew into a larger multi-case research program on managed retreat for Canadian flood risk reduction. In 2020, Doberstein was project co-lead on a Natural Resources Canada Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Division project which profiled several past cases of MR across Canada, and identified good practices related to proactive planned retreat for climate adaptation.

Brent is currently the Faculty of Environment liaison on a $15.75M CDN Global Affairs Canada-funded project, “FINCAPES: Flood Impacts, Carbon Pricing, and Ecosystem Sustainability,” which is helping Indonesia develop climate action capacity.

Brent's research experience also includes the following:

A Global Resilience Partnership project on “Development of Amphibious Homes for Marginalized and Vulnerable Populations in Vietnam” project (2017-2018)

A Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funded project entitled “Linking Tourism, Social/Cultural Capital, and Disaster Recovery: Comparative Perspectives From Nepal, Indonesia, and the Philippines” (2020-2025)

The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions’ “Coastal Adaptation: Living with Water” project (2021-2025).

• GEOG 101 - Human Geographies: People, Space and Change
  • Taught in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026
• GEOG 306 - Human Dimensions of Natural Hazards
  • Taught in 2023
• GEOG 356 - Resources Management
  • Taught in 2022, 2023
• GEOG 430A - Field Research in Regional Geography
  • Taught in 2023
• GEOG 430B - Field Research in Regional Geography
  • Taught in 2023
• GEOG 430C - Field Research in Regional Geography
  • Taught in 2023

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.