OVERVIEW 

Alexandra is a Research Fellow in MaREI and is located in the Environmental Research Institute in UCC. She also works with the Cleaner Production Promotion Unit in UCC.  Alexandra is a human geographer with over 10 years of experience working on multidisciplinary research projects in the areas of sustainable transitions, engaged climate action interventions, community development and flood risk management.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Alexandra is a Human Geographer and a Research Fellow in MaREI, in University College Cork. Her research work has concentrated in diverse areas including the societal and policy aspects of climate action, disaster management and energy transitions. Some of the projects she is currently involved include- STEPS (2020-2024) exploring public engagement with energy transition through an analysis of EirGrid’s evolving public engagement processes, case-studies on the community benefit scheme and the Celtic interconnector (led by Prof. Brian Ó Gallachóir); Creative C-Change (2021-2023) analysing the impact of the arts in climate action in Ireland (led by Dr Marguerite Nyhan),; ENCLUDE (2021-2024) exploring different manifestations of energy citizenship for inclusive decarbonisation across Europe with ( led by Dr Niall Dunphy).

Alexandra is the Vice-Chair of the COST Action SHiFT Social Sciences and Humanities for Transformation and Climate Resilience. SHiFT seeks to strengthen SSH and transdisciplinary contributions within climate action research. Alexandra is also a member of the International Energy Agency Users-TCP Programme on Gender & Energy Task Force (IEA-Users-TCP) and is an elected external expert advisor in Ireland with the Teaching Council since 2017.

BACKGROUND

Alexandra brings a broad range of experiences and expertise in transdisciplinary collaborations in research, at national and international levels, accrued over 10 years. Her work builds on a robust set of experiences, commitment and skills, that includes promoting SSH research in cutting edge areas of teaching and research and linking this knowledge and level of interaction across a range of arenas and areas of expertise. Her ongoing work with the JPI Climate Action Group “Enabling Societal Transformations in the Face of Climate Change” aims to mobilise key social science and humanities research perspectives to promote just transitions in the face of climate change. Alexandra also has accrued experience teaching at third level, including development and delivery of Postgraduate modules in the Geography Department in NUIG and supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation projects (2010-2015). Co-development and delivery of a three year blended Doctoral School Programme through the  ‘ANDROID Disaster Resilience Network’ (2012-2015) and various guest lectures for the MA in Sociology of Sustainability and Global Challenges in the Module ‘SC6631 Sociology of Sustainable Development’ led by Dr Gerard Mullally in UCC (2020-2021).