Social and Ecological Sustainability - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Blackward to the Future is a community-led, participatory action research initiative dedicated to reclaiming the past, present, and future of the African American community in Phoenix, Arizona. The project seeks to address the erasure of Black histories from the city’s cultural landscape by documenting oral histories, preserving community archives, facilitating intergenerational dialogue, and co-creating future urban visions. Drawing on the Adinkra concept of sankofa—the principle of looking to the past to move forward—the project emphasizes joy, resistance, and self-determination over damage-centered narratives.

Seeking a highly motivated doctoral student to join an interdisciplinary research project examining the role of nature-based solutions (NbS) in addressing climate-driven vulnerabilities in informal urban settlements in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), with a primary case study in Mérida, Mexico.

Informality is the dominant mode of urbanization in the Global South, where most future urban growth is projected to occur. Rapidly expanding but underserved informal settlements are disproportionately exposed to climate risks, including extreme heat, flooding, and water insecurity. Many cities in the LAC region face the triple challenge of the aftermath of rapid urbanization, climate change, and inequalities in access to services, infrastructure, and political representation.

Seeking an interdisciplinary PhD student to examine how foresight and futures thinking can support municipalities in navigating long-term, equity-oriented urban climate transitions. The student will be embedded within a collaborative research initiative based at the University of Waterloo and will work closely with five municipalities across Canada to explore how participatory and strategic foresight approaches can be used to reimagine urban futures, guide decision-making under deep uncertainty, and reduce the risk of maladaptation. This research will combine empirical investigation with conceptual development, contributing both to scholarly debates on urban climate governance and to practical tools and insights for municipal practitioners.